


The Storms of War

by SaphiralovesTolkien



Category: Geostorm (2017), Hamilton - Miranda, Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Catastrophe, End of the World, Eventual Romance, F/M, Happy Ending?, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Sort Of, The Author Regrets Nothing, no beta we die like men, no one asked for this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25763440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaphiralovesTolkien/pseuds/SaphiralovesTolkien
Summary: A.K.A., the Geostorm/Hamilton/Turn crossover AU no one asked for. Alexander Hamilton built Dutch Boy three years ago to protect the world from catastrophic weather events, only to have his foster-brother fire him. Now, Lafayette is urging him to go back into space because something is wrong with his machine. Freak ice storms in Afghanistan, pipes bursting in Hong Kong, and random people getting blown out of airlocks; something is definitely wrong. It is Alex's job, along with a group of assorted crew members led by their very cute Chief Scientist, John Laurens, to figure out what is wrong with Dutch Boy. Back on Earth, Lafayette, with the help of Nathan Hale and Peggy Schuyler, quickly discover the incidents with Dutch Boy may be leading to something more significant and more deadly than anything they had ever seen.CURRENTLY ON HIATUS: University is swamping me with work leaving me no time to work on this, so currently I will not be updating any new chapters. That does not mean to say I won't be finishing it, but updates won't be regular like they were. Also, we may or may not be evacuated from University so there's that to.
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens, Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette/Hercules Mulligan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Start A War

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! It has been a while since I posted anything. Luckily for all you guys, this idea latched onto me and refused to let go until I wrote it down. Since I have an issue with not finishing things, I waited until I had at least three chapters done before I started posting. Updates will be regular, a chapter a week on Friday because Fridays are fantastic. Now, what time the chapter will be posted on Fridays is up to interpretation because, well, I don't know why. It could be at the goshdarn crack of dawn, smack in the middle of the freaking day, or at night. It might just be better for you lot to follow this or bookmark it or whatever so you don't miss updates.  
> Okay, I promise, rambling is almost done. I own nothing recognizable, including the historical figures who own themselves, I suppose. Betaed by Grammarly. I think that's it.  
> Enjoy reading!

Start A War

> "So you wanna start a war in the age of icons
> 
> So you wanna be immortal with a loaded gun
> 
> So you wanna start a war"

~ Klergy and Valerie Broussard 

_Washington D.C._

_2019_

The sky was a perfect blue color the day Alexander Hamilton’s life changed for the worst. He got out of the nondescript government car, thanked the driver, and looked up at the imposing building before him. He checked his watch then wished he hadn’t when he saw the time. He hurried up the steps and approached the guard.

“Alexander Hamilton, I have a senate hearing, room 12.”

“Right this way.”

* * *

“The Senate Committee assigned to oversee Dutch Boy will now hear from Alexander Hamilton, Climate ISS, and Chief Operations Coordinator. May the record reflect that Mr. Hamilton was nearly one hour late.”

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that, I had to fly in from outer space.” Replied Alex as he took his seat amid chuckling. 

Lafayette sighed and muttered, “Here we go,” to no one in particular. 

Senator Charles Lee did not look amused as he stared down at the COO. “As you know, as per UN Resolution 28-14, the United States will be handing control of Dutch Boy over to an international oversight committee in three years. This, in spite of the fact that _we_ built the thing.”

Alex frowned and looked up at the last comment. “Excuse me, Senator, I don’t want to slow things down. It’s just; you said ‘we’ built it?”

“Yes, indeed, I did.”

“Because I know what I did,” continued Alex, nearly cutting Senator Lee off, “I’m the guy that led the team that built the station. I was up there with an international crew of 600 people, not just Americans. I know all of their faces, but I don’t remember yours.”

Alex could practically hear Lafayette say, ‘don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it,’ but he ignored his foster brother’s voice and pushed on.

“We had a plumber up there. He looked a little like you.”

The reporters in the room chuckled while Alex smirked at the Senator who did not look pleased.

“Very clever, Mr. Hamilton.”

Lafayette closed his eyes and would have banged his head on the desk if he wasn’t in a Senate hearing. Instead, he took out his phone and quickly shot a text to Alex, while Senator Lee continued. 

Yes, Dutch Boy was an international effort, and yes, it may one day, very well belong to the world.”

Alex barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes at the displeased sounding Senator, so what if the United States had help building Dutch Boy from other countries? It's not like Dutch Boy was only made to protect America; his masterpiece was tasked with protecting the entire world for fuck’s sake! He was pulled out of his thoughts by his phone buzzing with a text.

 **Laf:** stop

Alex looked over to where his foster brother was sitting and got a- wtf are you doing-look aimed back at him. Alex pointed a finger at the Senator and shot a -can you believe this guy?- look right back. When Alex turned back to face Senator Lee, it was to find that he was still talking.

“But until it does, we have authority over its operation, and we have authority over you. And you have been flouting that authority. I-I have report after report here,” Alex idly flipped open the folder before him, “‘failure to follow procedures,’ numerous violations of the chain of command. And then, there was the incident where you punched a federal inspector in the face.”

Alex didn’t bother hiding his eye roll this time, “Well, your federal inspector doesn’t know that a capacitor holds a charge even when it’s disconnected. He was grabbing for the damn thing; I saved his life.”

Lafayette inwardly groaned and was one more smart comment away from face-palming. He quickly shot off another text to his brother, trying to get him to take this seriously.

Senator Lee didn’t bother hiding his distaste for the man before him as he nearly bulldozed over Alex’s last remark. “You can make all the excuses you want, Mr. Hamilton.”

Alex looked down at his phone as it buzzed with another text from Lafayette.

 **Laf:** STOP!!! 🚫🚫🚫

He ignored it in favor of listening to Senator Lee’s next words. 

“But, there’s one thing you cannot defend. And that would be the day you brought Dutch Boy online and operational without our consent!”

The only thing Lafayette could think was ‘shit’ as he saw his brother’s eyes light up in anger.

“And what would that have taken, Senator? There was a series of storms building in Southeast Asia and the North Atlantic that would have killed tens of thousands of people. Dutch Boy was ready; we went green, it works. You’re welcome.”

Alex looked down as another text from his brother came through.

 **Laf:** Just rollover. Please.

Senator Lee didn’t bother lowering his voice as he angrily responded. 

“Mr. Hamilton, if you continue to defy our authority, Dutch Boy will go on without you! Am I making myself clear?”

There was silence in the room as everybody looked at Alex for his response. He looked over at Lafayette, who sent him a pleading look to just cooperate. For his brother’s sake, Alex reigned in his temper and quietly said, “Yes.”

Lafayette sighed quietly in relief and sat back as the Senator replied with a ‘good.’ The committee was nearly over, which was good because Lafayette was pretty sure Alex was one more comment away from exploding.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Lafayette froze and watched as Alex stiffened.

“To ensure compliance, this committee will be sending up new support staff. Naturally, when they get up there, you’ll have to send some of your people home.”

Senator Lee didn’t bother hiding his smirk as he continued, “We’ll leave those choices up to you.”

Alex took a deep breath and tried to maintain a modicum of respect as he quickly responded. 

“Senator, respectfully, my crew didn’t do anything wrong-”

“Excuse me,” cut in Lee, “I’m not asking for your input-”

“These people left their homes and their families and risked their lives to save this planet.”

“This hearing is adjourned,” said Lee briskly.

Alex’s frail hold on his temper snapped.

“I’m not cutting a single one of those people loose!”

All pretenses of a civil discussion were dropped as Lee leaned forward and snapped, “Excuse me?!”

“People like you need people like me,” continued Alex ignoring the Senator’s reddening face and Lafayette’s frantic texts to ‘please stop!’

“You know why? So you can take credit for everything we accomplish. So you can go to your constituents, and your cronies-”

“This meeting is adjourned-”

“And your mistresses, and pump out your chest and say, ‘hey, look at me!’”

Alex stood up to emphasize his last statement, while Lafayette buried his face in his hands. 

“Sit down!” Snapped Lee, who was ignored as Alex pushed on.

“Well, I’m looking Senator-”

“Excuse me-”

“We’re all looking.”

“This meeting is adjourned, this meeting is adjourned!”

* * *

Alex walked out of the hearing room and immediately saw Lafayette waiting for him at the stairs’ bottom. Alex grinned as he walked toward him and said sarcastically, “Well, that was going well, huh?”

He made it to the bottom of the stairs and stopped in front of Lafayette, “Up to a point.”

His brother sighed and gave him a hard look, “Non. Alex that did not go well at _any point_.”

Alex rolled his eyes then grinned, “But hey, what are you good at, little brother, hmm? Working the angles, smoothing ruffled feathers? You can fix it, you always do.”

Alex paused for a second, thinking, before continuing, “It’s like a talent.”

Lafayette raised an eyebrow causing Alex to amend his statement swiftly.

“It is a talent.”

Alex couldn’t help but add, “Of a sort.”

Lafayette sighed and tucked a stray curl behind his ear before plunging forward with news his brother would not like.

“I wish I could help you, frère. I do. But it is not that simple, not this time.”

Alex stared at him, no matter the situation or how much power people held, Lafayette had always managed to get him out of trouble; what was so different this time?

“Why not?”

Lafayette bit his lip, something he did when he was nervous and looked away before looking back at Alex.

"Well, as of last week, they have put me in charge of Dutch Boy.”

Alex grinned and laughed in relief as he grabbed his brother’s arms.

“But that’s great, Laf! That’s great! You kidding me?”

Lafayette looked away from Alex’s exuberant face and squeezed his eyes shut, gathering as much courage as possible. He looked back and sighed when he saw Alex’s brilliant mind had already started putting pieces together. Alex took a step back, dropping his arms, and looked at Laf; disbelief written all over his face. 

“You’re kidding me.”

Lafayette floundered for words as a look of betrayal stole across Alex’s face.

“Look, what do you want me to do? You leave me with no-no-ability-way-option-”

“No choice.” Corrected Alex automatically.

Lafayette glared at him, “I told you this had to go well, and it did not.”

Lafayette looked away again, took a shaky deep breath, then looked back at his brother.

“I-I am sorry, Alexander. You are fired.”

Lafayette swiftly turned and walked away from his brother, leaving Alex looking after him in utter betrayal. 


	2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years later, and all is not well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is being posted on Saturday. I have literally no excuse. Introducing some familiar faces in the President's cabinet and Hercules Mulligan!!!!  
> Nothing that looks familiar is mine.  
> Enjoy!

> _“Something wicked’s coming_
> 
> _Something wrong has begun_
> 
> _Something wicked’s coming_
> 
> _You better run_ , _run, run.”_

_Three Years Later_

_Registan Desert, Afghanistan_

_2022_

Three military vehicles rolled across the desert of Afghanistan, kicking up sand as they drove toward their unusual destination. Captain Nathaniel Greene looked over at the thermometer on the dashboard and did a double-take when he saw the temperature it was registering.

“Jesus. It’s over 120!.”

Nathaniel looked down at his assignment folder and reread the instructions from the Secretary of Defense. Usually, Nathaniel wouldn’t question orders, no matter how far fetched they sounded, from any higher-ranking officer, especially not when they came from SecDef, who he had the pleasure of working under during their time in the army. However, these particular orders were the absurdist thing he had ever read, and he had been present when it was discovered that Secretary Madison had been writing letters to himself from Congress and the President for over a month. 

Nathaniel looked up as the vehicles came to a stop about 20 yards away from the village they were sent to investigate. He got out of the truck, slipping on a pair of sunglasses, and walked until he came to the spot where the sand turned into ice.

_‘Son of a bitch,’_ Nathaniel thought as he touched the ice, feeling it cool down his skin, _‘Secretary Queen was right.’_

He stood up and motioned for his men to follow him as he started for the village. Upon entering the frozen community, Nathaniel felt the temperature drop significantly, only adding to the disturbing scene before him.

“Fan out.” He told his troops as he continued walking forward into the icy horror show. 

It was immediately made apparent that the flash freeze had hit suddenly and decisively. People and animals had been frozen during their daily tasks, the ice quickly capturing their bodies, killing them swiftly. A couple of men looked up in unease as the ice around them crackled but held. One soldier got a scare as he brushed his hand against a frozen man whose hand cleanly fell off. 

Nathaniel stood in the center of the frozen village in the middle of a 120-degree desert and could only bring one word to mind.

_‘Fuck.’_

* * *

_The White House_

_Washington D.C._

Lafayette walked briskly through the White House corridors, hoping to catch a quick conversation with a certain someone before starting his day. His eyes brightened as he spotted the very man he was looking for at the end of the hallway that happened to lead to his office. 

“What a pleasant surprise seeing you here, Agent Mulligan.” 

“Assistant Secretary Washington, seeing as I work here, it can hardly be a surprise to see me.” Responded Secret Service Agent Hercules Mulligan with just the barest hint of a smile. 

“I am aware you work here agent, but you are usually, ‘ow you say, seriously standing by the Oval Office, not here in the hallway that just happens to lead to my office.”

“Stoically, Assistant Secretary Washington. And I was assigned here today to watch out for any disturbing characters who may wander by.”

Lafayette laughed as Hercules shot him a slight smile and a wink. 

“My hero,” mused Lafayette with a giggle as he took a step closer, looking up at the taller and older man, “ _mon amour._ ” 

Lafayette knew he had messed up when Hercules swiftly took a step back and shot him a warning look.

“Assistant Secretary Washington, I am not permitted to engage in casual conversation while I am at a post. We are being watched; we are always being watched. And I would rather not have to shoot you or escort you out of the building.”

Hercules immediately regretted his harsh words as he saw the younger man’s face fall and turn away from him. Hercules opened his mouth, desperately trying to think of something to say when the silence was shattered by Lafayette’s phone buzzing. He pulled it out with a frown then cursed in French.

“What is it,” asked Hercules in a much gentler voice than before.

“The President has called a security briefing that was not...planned-no...assigned?”

“Scheduled,” said Hercules automatically, allowing a fond smile to slip onto his face. 

Lafayette looked up and smiled slightly in return, pushing away the rather painful thoughts of a certain someone else automatically correcting him. 

“I have to go,” he said quietly, wishing he could touch the man in front of him.

Hercules felt his heartbreak a little at the look of longing on Lafayette’s face.

“You should go, Assistant Secretary Washington; don’t want to keep the President waiting.”

Lafayette nodded and turned to go, but he hadn’t gotten very far when he heard a low, “See you at 7. Love you,” from behind. Lafayette looked over his shoulder at Hercules, who was once more staring stoically at the wall across from him, but Lafayette could see the hidden smile in the slight curve of his lips. Feeling better than before, Lafayette quickly turned around and headed off down the corridor to the security briefing.

* * *

_Briefing Room_

_White House_

_Washington D.C._

“What the hell happened here,” asked President George Washington, allowing his usual strict decorum falter as he and the rest of his cabinet watched the video footage of the frozen town in Afghanistan. 

“One of our thermospheric satellites malfunctioned over Afghanistan,” responded Secretary of Defense Lilianna Queen, “Captain Nathaniel Greene and his recon team was sent to investigate it, Mr. President.”

“And the members of the Climate Council, they’re aware?”

“Yes,” said Vice President George King, leaning forward, “and they’ve all agreed to keep the incident discreet. But with this many people in the loop, I’m not sure how long it’s gonna keep.”

Secretary Queen snorted, “I know some of the council members, we’ll be lucky if this keeps quiet for a day.”

“We can inform them of the...delicacy of the situation, and remind them what may happen if this intelligence gets out,” suggested Under Secretary of Defense of Intelligence John André. 

Lilianna shook her head, “The committee members are, technically speaking, UN representatives and therefore, above whatever grievances we can bring against them. And they will use their status to get out of anything we throw at them.”

Washington pursed his lips, silently agreeing with his oldest friend.

“And we’re sure Dutch Boy caused this?”

Lilianna hated giving bad news, but she nodded, “Absolutely.”

Washington’s frown deepened, “Can we assume this is an isolated incident? Dr. Shippen?” 

Dr. Peggy Shippen folded her hands on the table, “We’re fairly certain, yes.”

Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson snorted and said sarcastically, “It’s great to know that you’re ‘fairly certain.’ 

“This is a serious malfunction,” added Secretary of Homeland Security James Madison.

Washington turned to the Secretary of State, “So, your proposal is what?”

“Simple. We shut down all Central Asian satellites until we know what went wrong-”

“Are you serious?” Hissed King, while the rest of the room dissolved into murmurs. 

“We can’t do that!” Said Dr. Shippen, her eyes widening, “The world depends on Dutch Boy to keep everyone safe! Secretary Jefferson are you-” 

“Yes, I’m serious.” Snapped Jefferson, cutting off the doctor and narrowing his eyes at King in anger.

Lafayette winced at the growing tension boiling between the two men; this meeting was not going to end well if King and Jefferson were allowed to continue yelling.

“Do you know how difficult it was to get every one of these nations online for this?” Said King, louder than necessary, given the confines of the room. 

“The other UN members will not like it if we turn off any of the satellites without conclusive evidence,” said Dr. Shippen.

“I think a frozen village in the middle of a desert is pretty conclusive,” snapped Jefferson.

Washington must have sensed the same thing Lafayette had as he said in a calm but stern voice.

“We have worked extremely hard to assure these nations that this system will protect them, and it has.”

“And let’s not forget people,” added King, nearly cutting the President off, “it’s an election year. We shut Dutch Boy down; the press is gonna jump all over this.”

“Oh my god,” snapped Jefferson, “Is that seriously what you’re worried about?”

Lafayette saw Washington stiffen at that comment and knew he was thinking something along the lines: _‘I don’t want to use the machine that is currently keeping the world protected as a re-election strategy, that is not why I became President.’_ Lafayette was also angry at the Vice President’s comment, he, Dr. Shippen, and some of the other cabinet members only saw Dutch Boy as a machine to fight over, but they were missing the bigger picture. People had died because something had gone wrong, and yet only Secretary Jefferson had addressed it, and only minimally at that. 

“300 people died in that village,” blurted Lafayette, cutting across King and Jefferson. Everyone turned to look at him, and Lafayette had to struggle not to shrink under their looks. 

“Who gives a damn about the politics of it all?”

Washington gave him a look that so clearly said _‘watch your language_ ’ that Lafayette was briefly reminded of all the times he and Alex would get that look when they were younger. 

“Look, we cost those people their lives. The only thing we should be concerned about here is ‘ow to fix it and making sure it never happens again.”

Lafayette was silently impressed that he managed to get through the thinly veiled berating without stuttering or forgetting any English. Washington smiled slightly and asked, “How do you propose we do that?”

Lafayette stood up, trying not to fidget as he responded.

“ _We_ can’t do anything. The problem is not going to be discovered in this room, and certainly not by us.”

Lafayette almost started laughing when he saw his foster father silently mouth ‘solved’ to him with a fond smile. Feeling more focused and sure of himself, he plowed on.

“We need an international team on the station itself. Not suits. Engineers, coders, builders, doing a comprehensive systems check. No matter the cost, no matter the politics. We need them up there now.”

There was a brief silence, and Lafayette was starting to feel panicky and wondering if he should run now when Washington broke it.

“We are set to transfer full authority of Dutch Boy to the international community in two weeks. I will not be the President that hands over a damaged machine. Not now, not ever. So, we are going to handle this problem and its solution in-house. And we are going to send up one man.”

Washington turned to look back at Lafayette, who felt a trickle of dread at the look in his foster father’s eyes; surely he wasn’t talking about-

“One of our own who reports only to us and that we can control.”

Washington looked over at his Vice President, who conceded to him with a hand gesture. Washington turned back to Lafayette, who had silently sighed in relief. Washington was not talking about Alexander; nobody could control him.

“Understood? Find me that someone. Now.”

Lafayette nodded, “Yes, sir.”

The briefing was adjourned as the President stood up and immediately started talking to Secretary Queen. The other cabinet members got up and spoke in low voices to each other, occasionally looking at him. Secretary Jefferson immediately engaged Secretary Madison in what looked like a heated discussion. Dr. Shippen started whispering to Under Secretary André, who nodded along with whatever she was saying. Vice President King stood up and, beckoning Lafayette to follow him, strode from the room. 

“Look,” said King once he Lafayette were in the hallway, “I know you’re not gonna like it, but as I see it, there’s only one person to go after for this. Your brother, Alexander.” 

Lafayette stopped walking and stared at the Vice President, feeling all his dread come pouring back in, “No, not Alexander, please. I have not spoken to him in three years!”

“17 countries,” said King, turning to face the Frenchman, “17 countries had teams workin’ on Dutch Boy. They all reported to him. Nobody knows what’s under the hood better than him.”

King turned back around and continued walking. Lafayette hurried to catch up with him, mind whirling desperately to find another solution. 

“Can we not weigh other options?”

“Lafayette, how long have you known me?”

“Professionally? Ever since, I was transferred to the State Department. Personally, ever since my father started running for the presidency.”

“That’s right,” said King, laying a hand on Lafayette’s shoulder, “I handpicked you. I saw potential when I first met you when Washington decided to run, and I believed in you. You’re smart, and I was right about you. “

King clapped his shoulder, “I’m right about Alexander.” 

He turned to walk to his office and said over his shoulder, “If this is gonna be a problem I can inform the President we need to find a new liaison-”

Lafayette gritted his teeth, as much as he hated that he was being forced to contact the brother he hadn’t seen since the disastrous committee three years ago, he also did not want to disappoint his foster father. 

“No, sir. There is no problem.”

“Good. Now go find him and get him into space.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Please read, review, follow, all that jazz.  
> Song is called Something Wicked by Hidden Citizens.  
> I will maybe post TWO chapters next week to make up for my delay this week, idk, we'll see what happens.  
> Oh, also, the thing about James Madison writing letters to himself from the President and Congress is true, look it up.


	3. Standards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lafayette gets the joy of trying to convince Alex to return to space. Featuring cameos from Philip and John Laurens and crew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Two down! Hope you enjoy it!

> _ “They treat me like a loaded gun _
> 
> _ When I ask for what is mine _
> 
> _ Always try to dim my light, no matter how bright I shine _
> 
> _ I’ve got my standards _
> 
> _ And I’ll never let’em die.” _

_ The International Space Station IV _

_ Central Maintenance For Project Dutch Boy _

“Afghan satellite zero-niner-six inbound,” said Mary Smith, “All crews prepare for incoming Afghanistan satellite.”

The crew on the ground floor looked up as the faulty Afghanistan satellite slowly floated towards them. They swiftly exited the bay as the alarm sounded, alerting them to the bay doors opening to admit the satellite. 

“Replacement satellite standing by,” said Anna Strong as the satellite was grabbed by a giant mechanical arm and slowly brought it.

The machine whirled as it bent backward, bringing the satellite completely into the bay. 

“Afghan sat is locked in,” said Benjamin Tallmadge, looking up at his commander as he walked to the front of the glass.

“Replacement cleared for launch,” said John Laurens.

The alarms blared, and the new Afghanistan satellite shot into space towards the empty gap in Dutch Boy. 

“And away on sat 5-A,” said Robert Townsend.

The crew watched as the faulty satellite finally hit the ground with a soft clang. The alarms blared again, and the giant bay doors swiftly closed with a resounding thud. 

“Airlock doors secured.” Announced an automated voice.

John looked down at the satellite and spoke into his headset, “I want a full dissection of all components. Priority one.”

“Afghan satellite dissection commencing,” announced Robert as down in the bay; the air pressurized, allowing the doors to open and admit the satellite personnel.

Samuel Seabury led his group of three to the faulty satellite and opened a compartment on the side, showcasing some of the intricate wirings. He turned to the other two men and said, “Make sure they depressurize the fuel intake.”

“Yeah, we got it,” said one of them as they left.

Seabury inserted his HoloFrame into the satellite and waited for a few seconds until it beeped. He pulled it out and flicked it on to see the data transfer had been complete. He swiftly walked away from the satellite and over to his workstation, where he slid the HoloFrame into a binder and swept the entire pile into his arms. Seabury quickly walked through the station, passing into the rec room and making his way through his colleagues. One particularly annoying colleague stopped him.

“Seabury. Oi, Seabury!” Shouted Caleb Brewster over the noise.

“I’m about to obliterate your top score here, pal.”

“I have to do some reprogramming,” said Seabury, quickly walking past.

“Oh, come one!” Shouted Caleb after him. 

Benedict Arnold, leaning against the wall nearby watching Caleb, shook his head as he watched Seabury walk away.

“He’s got no pride of ownership, that lad.”

Seabury continued his walk through the station, going down into the locker bay where he placed his stuff, including the HoloFrame, into an available locker. Seabury looked around as he closed it, then walked away as casually as possible. Abraham Woodhull looked at him curiously with a small frown, wondering why Seabury wasn’t using his usual locker.

Seabury continued his nonchalant walk and ended up in a less traversed section of the station. He had entered a small hallway when the alarms blared, and the doors at the end closed with the automated voice saying, “Please stand clear of the doors.”

Seabury whipped around to hurry the other way only to see the doors closing with the automated voice repeating, “Please stand clear of the doors.”

The alarms kept blaring, and the automated voice kept repeating the same message as the airlocks blew, and Samuel Seabury was sucked out into the cold depths of space with a scream.

* * *

_ Coco Beach _

_ Florida _

Phillip Hamilton looked up from his intense work on the solar generators as the sound of tires crunching over dried grass reached his ears. He frowned as a silver car pulled into the open space before the trailer. A tall, slightly gangly man with a riotous head of curls pulled back, got out of the vehicle, and placed a hand over his eyes, squinting at the trailer. It took Phillip a moment to realize he recognized the man.

“Uncle Laf?”

Lafayette turned his head and grinned as he recognized his nephew.

“Hello! What are you doing up there  _ mon  _ _ poète _ ? What is that, a sun tracking generator?”

Phillip smiled slightly at his uncle’s awkward attempt at naming the machine.

“Dual-access, sun-tracking solar generator. I’m replacing the power converter.”

Lafayette laughed as he stopped a few feet from the generator, “You are becoming more like your father every day,  _ neveu _ . Where did he find it?”

Phillip jumped down and raised an eyebrow, “Are you seriously asking that question?”

Lafayette smiled, “He made it, no? Come here, you!”

Phillip grinned and ran toward his uncle jumping at the last second, forcing Lafayette to catch him, not that the Frenchman minded. Lafayette squeezed Phillip in a tight hug and felt his nephew do the same. 

“It is good to see you,” exclaimed Lafayette as he set Phillip down. “‘Ow are you doing? You are okay?”

“I’m really great,” said Phillip with a grin.

Lafayette took a good look at his nephew and shook his head.

“This is, ‘ow you say, freaking me out. You are supposed to be nine years old.”

Phillip giggled as he responded, “I’m thirteen, and  _ you _ were supposed to be part of my life, but shit happens.”

Lafayette grimaced slightly and felt a swell of guilt consume him. He had always regretted that his falling out with his brother caused him to miss so much time with his nephew, but, as Phillip had so eloquently put it, shit happens.

“Ouch. So what is happening here? You are living with him now?”

Phillip shrugged awkwardly, “He gets me two weekends a month.”

“ _ Ça c'est bon _ . ‘Ow is your mother?”

Another shrug and awkward look, “Justifiably pissed.”

. Lafayette laughed slightly, “Ah, that is understandable.”

The two looked over as the trailer door suddenly opened, and a voice said, “Phillip, it’s time.”

Alexander Hamilton stopped in his tracks when he saw his brother awkwardly standing in front of him. 

“Hello, Alexander.”

Alex pursed his lips and, without looking away from Lafayette, said, “Phillip, I thought I told you not to talk to strangers.”

Phillip shot his father an exasperated and unamused look while Lafayette sighed and resisted the urge to run his hands through his hair.

“Do not listen to him, Phillip, when your father and I were your age; we were so close we had our own secret langua-code.”

Lafayette awkwardly tripped over his words, hurrying to correct himself as Philip said-‘Really?’ He thought he saw the corner of Alex’s mouth twitch, but his next sentence erased that thought.

“I don’t remember that.”

It was Lafayette’s turn to give his brother an exasperated look.

“ _ Oui, tu fais _ .”

“No, I don’t,” said Alex with a straight face.

There was an awkward silence that was broken by Phillip, saying, “Well, it was nice seeing you.”

Lafayette smiled and hugged his nephew. He ruffled his hair affectionately as he said, “Look after yourself  _ mon  _ _ poète _ , yes? I will try to not wait another three years before seeing you again.”

Phillip grinned at him as he walked toward the trailer and went inside, closing the door behind him. With Phillip-the-buffer gone, the tension between the two brothers skyrocketed. Alex didn’t even spare his brother a second glance as he walked over to a car with its hood up and parts strewn around. Lafayette followed at a distance and, trying to break the ice, asked, “Why do you have so many car parts?”

Without looking at him, Alex responded, “I build electric motors for the retirees down in Vero Beach. Keeps me busy.”

“This seems a waste of your talent.”

Alex turned to a cooler, grabbed a beer, and had the decency to offer one to his brother as he said, “Kidding? I’m having the time of my life.”

Lafayette shook his head and, eyeing his brother, asked, “It is a little  _ de bonne heure, _ do you not think?”

Alex snorted as he took a drink and turned back to the motor.

“I got fired by my own brother. Then I lost my family, my house, and my dog, so happy hour starts around 11:00 out here.”

Alex sarcastically toasted Lafayette with his drink before taking another sip.

“Okay, you saw your nephew and refused a beer; the road is that way.”

Alex walked away as Lafayette sighed and silently cursed the Vice President. He turned around and followed his brother, quickly catching up due to his long legs and Alex’s rather short ones. His brother raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him when he noticed, “You need me to repeat myself in French?”

“Alex-”

“Ok,  _ tu as vu ton neveu et tu as refusé une bière, la route est comme ça. _ ”

“Alex-”

“I will repeat myself in Spanish.”

“Will you just listen-”

_ “Viste a tu sobrino y rechazaste una cerveza, el camino es por ahí.” _

“Alexander! There is something wrong with Dutch Boy.”

That caused Alex to pause, “No, there isn’t.”

“An entire village of dead Afghans might, ‘ow you say, disagree with you.”

Alex turned around as his brother continued.

“And yesterday, an airlock opened by itself. We lost one of our crew.”

Alex, still as stubborn as ever, replied, “Dutch Boy is not my problem anymore.”

Lafayette felt anger course through his veins as he stalked closer to his brother.

“ _ Foutaise! _ Other than your son and football, Dutch Boy was all you ever cared about!”

Alex smiled thinly, “Once, but then you took care of that.”

Lafayette snorted softly, “You don’t care, no?”

He looked around then stared very pointedly at something behind Alex, “Then what are you doing living out here?”

As if on cue, there was a rumbling, and Alex turned to watch a rocket launching. Lafayette thought he caught a look of longing flash across his brother’s face as he tracked the rocket’s flight. Alex wanted to go; Lafayettefayette knew he did. He just had to somehow convince his stubborn brother to, well, not be stubborn. 

“I know you think I am a ferret?-otter?-and that I just move pieces around a chessboard for a living. And you are right, I do, but that is ‘ow you get seventeen countries to agree to build a space station. Now you, you build things, no?”

Lafayette gestured around him, and Alex nearly smiled.

“Well, there is something wrong with the thing that you built, and people are dying. If you truly think you are the best, and we both know you do, then ‘ow in the world can you stand there and say no?”

There was a brief pause then.

“Weasel.”

“What?”

“The word you are looking for is weasel.”

Lafayette stared at his brother. utterly thrown by the abrupt turn in conversation that he nearly missed Alex’s next statement.

“I will be taking orders from someone, I suppose.”

Lafayette blinked at him, “Um, yes?”

Alex pursed his lips and tapped his fingers against his leg. On the one hand, he hadn’t been in space for over three years and missed seeing his creation. On the other hand, he was stubborn as fuck and did not want to give into Lafayette. Lafayette anxiously bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for an answer. Perhaps he should plead? He didn’t know what he would do if Alex said no. He would not only be disappointing the Vice President, but he would also disappoint his foster father, not to mention that there wasn’t anyone else who could do the job. 

Alex finally sighed, “As long as it’s not from you, then, yeah.” 

Lafayette couldn’t help the grin of relief that crossed his lips at his brother’s answer. Alexander was the only person who could do this job, and though he would never admit it, Lafayette knew that Alex was just as excited to go back as President Washington would be when he heard Alex had said yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title and subsequent son lyrics are from Standards by Leslie Odom Jr. Yes, that Leslie Odom Jr. Mr. Aaron Burr himself.  
> I hope you enjoyed it! See you next week!


	4. I Swear That I'll Be Around For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Nathan Hale!!! Also, Alex needs to reassure his son because Phillip worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Time for chapter three!!!  
> As always, I don't own anything recognizable as someone else's.

> _ “Domestic life was never quite my style  _
> 
> _ When you smile, you knock me out, I fall apart _
> 
> _ And I thought I was so smart” _

_ ICC _

_ Pacific Climate Council HQ _

_ Hong Kong _

_ China _

Chief Engineer for the Pacific Division of Dutch Boy, Nathan Hale, sat behind his desk in the otherwise empty ICC building and logged into the mainframe. He tapped a few keys, and information regarding the launching of the new Afghanistan satellite appeared before him. He checked the time, did some quick mental math, and pressed the dial button for Lafayette. 

“This is Lafayette, sorry I could not answer the phone! Please leave a message! 

_ C'est Lafayette, désolé je n'ai pas pu répondre au téléphone! Merci de laisser un message!” _

Nathan sighed, hung up, then went downstairs. He left the building and drove to a small convenience store, not far from his apartment, where he made a beeline for the water and pressed a cold bottle to his cheek. He sighed in relief as he bent down to peer at the eggs only to have a cat brush against him as it hopped into the fridge. Nathan chuckled, “That is no place for you.”

He picked up the cat and placed it back on the floor. He picked up a carton of eggs and was once again startled as the cat jumped back into the fridge. It purred as it rubbed itself against the cold walls. Nathan laughed as he asked, “Got any room in there for me?”

Cats jumping into fridges and the abnormally hot temperatures were warning cues that Nathan should have caught onto. However, seeing how he had been working hard all day, and it really was unusually hot, Nathan didn’t. He paid for his groceries, then crossed the street to his car and was about to put them in when a rumbling noise caught his attention. He whirled around, causing his eggs to fall out and break open on the street. Nathan sighed and resolved to sleep more hours and maybe take that vacation that Ben had urged him to accept last time they spoke.

When Nathan went to pick up his cracked eggs, he stopped and felt a trickle of dread go down his back. The eggs were frying. Nathan looked up as the rumbling from before started again, only this time much louder and more menacing sounding. He watched in horror as the street a few yards away from him cracked and started smoking. A red hot pipe broke through, and more smoke came pouring out. 

Nathan slammed the door and quickly got into the driver’s seat as the cracking continued, the fissures turning lava red. He stepped on the gas and peeled away from the curb, the people around him following his lead and running in the same direction. There was a loud boom, and Nathan looked up just in time to see an explosion in his rearview mirror. The fire continued bursting out of the ground, weakening the surrounding concrete and tearing buildings down.

Nathan pressed the gas pedal as far as he could and kept an eye on the encroaching explosions. The street in front of him exploded, and Nathan quickly yanked the wheel left, veering into the next lane, and narrowly avoided being roasted. He continued to drive as fast as he could, keeping an anxious terrified look on both the exploding streets behind him and the potentially exploding streets in front of him. 

At one point, the fissures had caught up, and Nathan found himself perilously driving parallel to gaping fire-filled cracks. He somehow got in front of the fissures and continued his mad drive toward the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge as towers of fire exploded out of potholes, and large glass buildings crashed to the ground around him. 

Nathan wasn’t sure how he made it out of the city alive, but he somehow found himself slamming on his breaks as he swerved around cars on the bridge. When the vehicle finally stopped, Nathan took a couple of deep breaths trying to get his heart to stop beating so fast. A sudden beeping caused him to look around and fix his eyes on the thermometer, which was swiftly coming down from a sweltering 135 degrees to a much cooler 85. 

Nathan got out of the car and turned around to see how much damage the city had taken. He gasped along with the other people on the bridge as he took in the dense smoke clouds, the red glare of fires, and the wail of sirens coming from the destroyed city.

_ Coco Beach _

_ Florida _

“Okay,” said Alex as he opened the trailer door and heaved the bag outside, “I think this is everything. I made you a packed lunch as well; I promise it’s mostly edible.”

Phillip walked forward to grab his bag, looking solemn as he asked, “Did you hear about the gas main explosions in Hong Kong?”

Alex grimaced, “Yeah, it just hit the news. It’s terrible.”

“Was it anything like what happened in Afghanistan?”

How the heck did Phillip know what happened there?

“No, nothing happened in Afghanistan,” he said, trying to play it off. 

“Are you going back up to space?”

“No-”

“Yes, you are!” Exclaimed Phillip. “You’re leaving today to fix Dutch Boy!”

Alex gave his son a stern look, “What did I tell you about eavesdropping?”

Phillip scoffed, “You’ve never told me anything about eavesdropping. You really don’t do much parenting.”

Well, Phillip had him there. Alex sighed and resolved to try and do more after he came back from space. 

“How do you know it’s safe,” asked Phillip quietly, vulnerability leaking through his voice.

Alex looked at his son, “Of course it’s safe. I’ve been up there a hundred times. I managed to build a machine in space under less than ideal circumstances. It’ll be fine.”

“Don’t treat me like I’m a child,” said Phillip rather snappishly, “Someone died!”

“It was an accident-” began Alex.

“Someone got sucked out!”

“It was an accident.” Said Alex firmly, gripping his son’s shoulder. “That’s what I’m going up there to fix. You don’t have to worry. View it like I’m going away on vacation for a week or two.”

Phillip scoffed and pulled away, “To a place 250 miles straight up and negative 450 degrees? Some holiday.”

Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he stood up. Okay, maybe the kid had a point; it wouldn’t be his first choice of a holiday even if he did miss being up there.

“Why did Uncle Laf fire you?”

Alex threw his hands up in the air, “Unbelievable! Is there anything you didn’t hear?”

Phillip ignored him and pressed forward, “Did you do something wrong? Did you two get into an argument? Did you-”

“No,” said Alex, “look, your Uncle Laf and me we-well, it’s not just about the one job. You know, sometimes younger brothers resent being younger. So they get bossy. They think they know everything. They tell you how to act, how to talk, and after a couple of decades, you get tired of listening to it.”

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t entirely true, and maybe Alex had messed up, but Phillip didn’t have to know that. His son, however, seemed to be on Lafayette’s side.

“Maybe you should listen! It might keep you from pissing off the wrong people so many times!”

Before Alex could say anything, a car horn honked, and they both looked over to see a white car pull up a couple of yards from the trailer. Phillip sighed in relief and grabbed his bag.

“My lift is here; I gotta go.”

Alex blinked at the abrupt transition and very eloquently said, “What? Wait, I thought I was taking you to the airport?”

“You want to see mom? Great. We can all fly home to Atlanta together, one big happy family!” said Phillip sarcastically as he turned to walk to the car.

Alex huffed, “Quit pretending to be mad at me.”

When Phillip didn’t stop Alex called out again, “Phillip, what do you want from me?”

Phillip stopped, turned around, and with tears in his eyes said, “I want you to come back alive, and you’re not exactly the reliable type.”

Alex felt a stab of guilt; his son wasn’t wrong. He hadn’t even considered what him leaving meant for Phillip. He walked over and gently grasped his son’s shoulders.

“Hey,” he said softly as Phillip leaned forward to press his head against Alex’s chest, sobbing quietly.

Alex bent forward to press a kiss to his son’s hair before getting down to look Phillip in the eye.

“I know I haven’t always kept good on my promises, but I’m coming back. I-”

“Promise.” Sniffed Phillip pulling away slightly.

Alex smiled gently, “I promise.”

Phillip took a shuddering breath and nearly collapsed in his father’s arms. Alex readily received him and squeezed him tightly. He was never a religious man, but he hoped at that moment that some higher entity was going to be able to help him keep that promise. 

“I’ll be back soon, okay? I won’t stay up there longer than I need too.”

Phillip nodded against his shoulder, then pulled away, and, wiping his eyes, walked toward the car. Alex watched him go and desperately hoped the problem was something minor; he couldn’t break his promise to Phillip. Not this time.

_ Kennedy Space Center _

_ Cape Canaveral _

_ Florida _

Alex couldn’t help but grin as the vast space shuttles came into view. Despite the unfortunate reason for his going into space, Alex was still excited to be going. To get the chance to be in space again and to see his life’s work, was something he never thought he would get the opportunity to do. 

Alex boarded the shuttle named  _ Revolution  _ and with a swift- “Have a safe flight sir”-from a crew member, the countdown began. The shuttle shuddered as the boosters ignited, and soon it was launched into space. As soon as it was safe, he unclipped his harness and floated off his seat. A childish grin stole across his face as he did a few somersaults in the zero gravity. 

Down in mission control, James Monroe, the commander for the shuttle missions to Dutch Boy, grinned at the screen and spoke into his headset.

“Hate to interrupt, Major Tom, but in a few seconds, you should be able to see the net.”

Alex floated his way to the front of the shuttle. He looked out the window and saw the shuttle fly through a gap among the intricate wirings and satellites that made up Dutch Boy. With the shuttle clear of the machine, it righted itself and flew a steady course to the space station. Alex floated over to another window and looked through it, seeing the station that had once been his home come steadily closer.

As the shuttle flew around the station to the front entrance, Alex caught a glimpse of the seventeen flags painted on the side. He still couldn’t exactly remember how he had managed to command seventeen countries’ worth of engineers, architects, welders, and builders to create Dutch Boy. He hadn’t realized how much he missed that command and position until he saw those flags. As the shuttle flew towards the opening bay doors, Alex grinned in excitement; it was time to resume that control. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!   
> The song is Dear Theodosia, which I thought was appropriate for this chapter.  
> For those of you who may not know, Nathan Hale was one of the first spies in the Revolutionary War. He volunteered to infiltrate New York for Washington, but unfortunately was caught and hung as a spy. The quote, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country," is attributed to him.  
> The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is the bridge that connects Hong Kong to China.  
> See you all next Friday!


	5. It's Obvious You're Meant For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and John meet!!! Plus the other members of the crew. Laf and Hercules get some cute fluffy time before Nathan ruins it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! Happy Friday!  
> I just finished my first week of online school and it sucks. Really hoping I the situation gets better because I must prefer in-person classes at Uni than online.  
> Like always, I don't own anything familiar.  
> I changed some of the character's ethnicities because the Dutch Boy project is supposed to be an international initiative, so...yeah. The changes aren't super important other than the fact that Ben speaks Spanish, but that doesn't happen in this chapter.  
> Also, John is British because I said so.  
> OC, but she doesn't play a big part.  
> I think that's it?  
> Enjoy reading!

It’s Obvious You’re Meant For Me

> _“We keep behind closed doors_
> 
> _Every time I see you, I die a little more_
> 
> _Stolen moments that we steal when the curtain falls_
> 
> _It’ll never be enough.”_

_International Space Station IV_

_Central Maintenance for Project Dutch Boy_

Alex felt the shuttle’s gentle bump as it landed in the docking bay and heard the whirl of machines and the piercing alarms that signaled the bay doors closing and the air pressurizing. As soon as it was safe to do so, Alex walked off the shuttle and stopped. He turned a full circle, taking in the station around him, and couldn’t help but grin.

“Look at you,” he murmured, “living and breathing.”

“Mr. Hamilton.”

Alex turned around with a distracted, hey, but abruptly stopped when he saw the person who had addressed him. If Alex had to describe the man in front of him with one word, it would be cute. The man walking toward him was taller than Alex, though it wasn’t that hard to achieve such a feat. His mess of curls was pulled back at the back of his neck, but a few had sprung free and framed his face. Alex got the strange urge to brush the wayward curls behind the cute man’s ears, and then he stopped, and Alex nearly lost it. His eyes were a gorgeous green color that reminded him of fresh grass, but the thing that had really caught Alex’s attention was the mass of freckles. They seemed to be everywhere, with an exceptional amount concentrated on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. 

The cute-freckled man held out his hand and graced Alex with his name.

“John Laurens. Nice to meet you.”

Alex shook the surprisingly slim-freckled!-hand and smiled.

“I would introduce myself, but you already know who I am.”

“I think you will find that most people on this station know who you are,” said John, and yeah, that was a British accent, thought Alex. 

“If you would follow me.”

As the two walked through the station, Alex asked, “When did you get assigned to Dutch Boy?”

“I’ve worked on Dutch Boy since the beginning,” said John, “Thermospherics.”

Alex wanted to call bullshit; he definitely would have remembered John but was distracted by the hallway they had just entered.

“The containment shell needs a fresh coat of sealant where the APT ducts push through the channel housing.”

Alex frowned up at the ceiling, then wandered over to another section and called back to John, who had stopped, “And this is wrong, not good.”

Alex strode to the end of the hallway and into the juncture point with John following.

“Mr. Hamilton-”

“Shhh, do you hear that?”

“I’m not sure-”

“Listen. That wobbly hum?”

John frowned, but listened all the same.

“That’s a bad step-down transformer. All these things, they have to be watched, cared for.”

“Mr. Hamilton-” began John only to be cut-off again.

“No, I know, I know. It’s not your fault,” Alex would not blame John for any of this, “everything here was perfect when I left. So, maybe I need to speak to your Chief Scientist about the fine art of giving a shit.”

John gave a deprecating smile and folded his arms, “I’m the Chief Scientist. I was promoted a year ago.”

All of Alex’s complaints fled as he registered that information; well shit. Trying to save face, he awkwardly said, “Congratulations.”

John didn’t smile, “One of our crew died this week, Mr. Hamilton. Sorry about the transformer.”

Alex wanted to hit the rewind button and go back a few seconds to when he wasn’t a massive dick. There probably went any chance of having even a friendship with the man. John looked him over once before brushing past him.

“Let me introduce you to your team.”

Alex had no choice but to follow John and hope he would get a chance to later make up for his rudeness. The two went through a pair of doors into a room where six people sat quietly talking. They all stopped and looked up when the doors opened.

“Oh, of course,” said a tall man with swept-back brown hair, a distinctly British accent, and an arrogant air around him, “an American.”

“Actually,” said Alex, never one to let someone else have the last word about him, “I was born in the Caribbean, and my brother’s from France, but thank you for your kind words.”

“Yeah, well, you’re wearing the stars and stripes, and the good red, white, and blue. No offense meant, of course, but this is a serious situation, and the last thing we need is some Washington stooge to come and supervise us. Do we lads?”

This last statement was addressed to the others around the table who sat awkwardly, not knowing what to say. John pursed his lips, but before he could say anything, Alex clapped his hands and gave a merciless smile.

“Well, you got one, so how about we start with names and positions?”

“Yes,” said John, trying to reclaim some control over the situation.

“Angelica, structural, though you already knew that, didn’t you Alexander?”

Alex stared at the dark-skinned woman. There was only one word flashing in his mind, fuck. He awkwardly smiled at her, “Angelica, how nice to see you again, its, ah, been a while.”

Angelica gave him a tight-lipped smile that held no mirth, while the others around the table looked between the two of them in interest. John also looked between Angelica and Hamilton in surprise; how did they know each other? There was an awkward pause that was finally broken by the British gent who had spoken before.

“Benedict Arnold, systems and OS analyst, and loyal subject of Britain.”

Ah, rude British dude now had a name, and it sounded just as pretentious as Alex thought it would. John gave Benedict a look that said-knock it off.

“Benjamin Tallmadge,” said the blond-haired, blue-eyed guy sitting across from Benedict, “robotics.”

The woman next to Ben had dark hair, storm grey eyes, and a distinctive Australian accent when she said, “Elizabeethia Knight, though everyone calls me Lizzy. Also, robotics.”

The guy sitting on the table itself had a bushy, wild mass of hair and beard, though that didn’t take away from the smile underneath as he said, “Caleb Brewster, security.”

The last guy, who had brown hair and eyes, eyed Alex in mistrust, but said, “Abraham Woodhull, Satcom. And you are?”

John turned to Alex to introduce him, “This is Mr. Alexander Hamilton.”

Everybody, minus Angelica, straightened up and looked at him in a mixture of surprise and shock. Okay, so maybe not everyone recognized him. Even Benedict looked surprised.

“You’re Alexander Hamilton. _The_ Alexander Hamilton?”

“You look younger than I thought you would,” said Ben, almost absentmindedly before realizing what he had spoken aloud. “I mean, you look good, not that you’re not old enough to have built Dutch Boy, but your physical appearance does not match the time that has elapsed in your life.”

He finishes awkwardly. Angelica smirked slightly, Abe sighed, Caleb snickered, Lizzy snorted, Benedict rolled his eyes, and John just barely resisted the urge to facepalm. Alex wasn’t quite sure what to say after that rambling; he was still trying to figure out if it was meant to be a compliment or not. Ben awkwardly looked around the room, avoiding his commander, who looked like he wanted to strangle him. 

“Am I getting fired?” He whispered to Caleb, who only shook his head and patted him sympathetically on the back. 

“Okay,” said Alex with a sigh, “we don’t have a lot of time. So we have three situations to examine: Afghanistan, the scientist that died here, and the new incident in Hong Kong.”

“Hong Kong?” Repeated Benedict, “No, that was a gas main explosion. We all watched that on the telly.”

“All right,” said Alex with a disbelieving smile, “You keep on believing that. I, on the other hand, have a mystery that I’d like to solve and prevent more deaths, so feel free to join me.”

With that last statement, Alex turned on his heel and walked away. Maybe it was a little rude and dramatic, but it felt good all the same. It also meant that he got away from Angelica’s piercing stare faster. 

The crew left around the table looked at each other in surprise, shock, and dislike on Benedict’s part. John sighed and silently prayed for strength. Angelica grimaced and got up from the table to follow, she may not like the guy, but he was good at what he did.

“Yeah, he’s always like that,” she said as she followed him from the room. 

John tilted his head in the same direction, and the rest of the crew quickly scrambled to their feet and hurried after Alex with John taking up the rear. It was going to be a fascinating couple of days.

* * *

_Washington D.C._

“Okay, quick question,” said Lafayette as he jumped onto the bed, causing Hercules to look up with a quirked eyebrow, “a live shooter, the President and I are both, ‘ow you say, in front of the fire. Who do you save first? Me-”

“The President,” said Hercules immediately.

Lafayette pouted, “You could not have given it more thought?”

Hercules smiled as he wrapped an arm around the other man’s small waist and attempted to draw him closer. 

“Sorry, Babe, the job comes first, even if your father would shoot me afterward for not saving you first. And the word is active, an active shooter.”

Lafayette pouted harder, causing Hercules to laugh and lean forward to kiss him. Lafayette fended him off and managed to slip off the bed.

“Non, you do not get a kiss after what you just said.”

Hercules grinned at the teasing tone Lafayette couldn’t manage to hide.

“Well, I’ll just have to...convince you otherwise.”

Lafayette’s eyes widened, and he quickly darted around the bed with a small squeak, as Hercules pounced just narrowly missing him. The Frenchman laughed as he ran out of the room and down the hallway with Hercules pursuing him. The two darted around the house, trying to remain quiet due to the hour, but it was hard as Lafayette kept bursting into giggles, and Hercules would laugh in response. Hercules finally managed to catch the elusive Frenchman in the living room, snagging Lafayette around the waist and pulling him in until his back bumped against his chest.

Hercules leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of Lafayette’s temple, then on the cheek, then on the side of his neck, before finally placing one on the juncture between neck and shoulder. 

“Are you convinced now,” murmurs Hercules into the skin beneath his lips, causing Lafayette to shiver.

“You may need to, ah, convince me further, yes?”

Hercules smiled, turned the smaller man in his arms rather flamboyantly, causing him to giggle, before bending down to kiss him properly. Lafayette threw his arms around the older man’s neck and pushed himself onto tiptoes to get closer. Hercules laughed, and Lafayette thudded back down onto his feet with a pout.

“It is not my fault you are so ridiculously tall.”

“Mm, maybe we need to fix that.”

Before Lafayette can say anything in return, Hercules is once again kissing him. He slowly and languidly walks them both backward until the younger is pressed against the wall. Lafayette doesn’t mind when he feels his back hit the wall, too invested in Hercules’ mouth. He squeaks in surprise when Hercules’ hands leave his hips only to grip his thighs and hoist him up. Lafayette scrambles to latch onto the taller, hooking his legs around Hercules’ waist and arms around his shoulders. 

Hercules smiles at his boyfriend, now face to face with him. Lafayette’s curly hair has come completely undone and falls around his face, framing his wide eyes and kissed-bruised lips. 

“You’re beautiful, you know?”

Lafayette blushes and giggles, causing Hercules to smile and shift his hands until they are again on the Frenchman’s hips. He strokes the skin he finds there, making Lafayette shiver again and press closer. 

_“_ _Allez-vous rester là et regarder, ou allez-vous m'embrasser?”_ Murmurs Lafayette, slipping into his mother tongue.

Hercules grins, only catching every other word, but getting the message. He leans forwards and captures Lafayette’s lips in a searing kiss that has the Frenchman gasping. They have an intense make-out session, and Hercules’s mind is so focused on the radiant creature before him that when they break apart to breathe, he whispers against the other’s lips, “Marry me.”

Lafayette, who had been fully prepared for another make-out session, startles and leans back to look Hercules in the eyes.

_“Quoi?”_

“Let’s stop hiding and get married. I knew I wanted to marry you the second I met you. Let’s do it and be official.”

Lafayette shakes his head, his eyes sad as he responds, “We cannot, you know we cannot. It is not, what is the word...restricted?”

“Allowed,” sighs Hercules as he presses his forehead to Lafayette’s. “Some days, I wished I had never signed up for this damn job.”

“If you had not, then you would have never met me, no?”

Hercules smiles and kisses his nose, “Well, we can’t have that.”

Lafayette giggles quietly, but also gives him a sad smile. 

“Can’t your father give us his presidential blessing or something?”

Lafayette’s eyes widen comically, “Non! If he finds out, he will have you killed!”

Hercules snorts, “Your father may be president, but he can’t just have me killed.”

Lafayette eyes him, “Never underestimate an overprotective father with presidential powers.”

Hercules rolls his eyes and smiles, “Well, I guess I better enjoy my time now before the CIA or your aunt kill me.”

The two are just about to melt into another heavy make-out session when Lafayette’s phone rings, causing him to groan. Hercules gently sets him on his feet and watches him walk to his phone, muttering in French. The older man gets his own surprise when he hears his phone ring from the bedroom and walks down the hall to answer it. 

Lafayette swipes left and holds the phone to his ear, “Hello?”

_“Laf, it’s Nate.”_

Lafayette sighs in relief, “Nathan, _mon ami_ , please tell me you are not in Hong Kong.”

_“Last night,”_ responds Nathan, “ _I was right in the middle of it. It was horrible, that’s why I’m calling. Phone service just came back on.”_

“You are lucky to be alive, mon ami, those gas pipes-”

_“I’m not so sure that was the cause.”_

“What do you mean,” asks Lafayette with a frown, “I do not follow.”

“It was abnormally hot before the pipes blew,” said Nathan glancing at his computer screen, “the satellite sensor should have recorded it, right? I’ve checked over a dozen times, but I can’t access Dutch Boy’s Hong Kong satellite. My access has been blocked. Check your HoloFrame.”

Lafayette grabs his HoloFrame off the counter and flicks it open one-handed as he responds, “I do not understand, we both have clearance.”

_“Exactly,”_ answers Nathan.

Lafayette furrows his brow as he taps on the Hong Kong satellite only for a message saying his access is denied to pop up. 

_“And the only people that have the authority to block it are in the building you work in,”_ finishes Nathan.

“Wait,” says Lafayette, setting the HoloFrame down, “what are you talking about?”

Nathan presses his phone to his ear as he turns away from his computer.

“If someone is covering up a system defect, there’s potential for critical failure on a global scale. If Dutch Boy has a catastrophic failure, it can create something far worse than the very thing we’re trying to prevent. What we call a geostorm.”

Lafayette grips his phone, his mind whirling with panicky thoughts.

“Slow down, mon ami! A what?”

_“A geostorm.”_ Says Nathan, “ _Simultaneous catastrophic weather events triggered all over the globe. Once they pass a minimum threshold, the storms will start causing new storms like a chain reaction, until they merge.”_

Lafayette swallows hard as he reaches for his HoloFrame, “This has to be a mistake, a-a malfunction?- _pépin?_ I will call you when I find something, yes?”

“Alright,” says Nathan before he hangs up the phone, _“thanks.”_

Lafayette lowers his phone, absentmindedly tapping it against his leg. He sets it down and picks up the remote, turning the tv on and to a news channel. The news station is broadcasting a map of Hong Kong, and the announcer is talking about how the pipes have not been well maintained in years, probably the cause of the explosion. Lafayette hears footsteps behind him; then, two arms wrap around his waist from behind.

“Nathan believes that what happened in Hong Kong has something to do with Dutch Boy,” murmurs Lafayette. “I think he is... _impliquant_ -what is the English?-a, 'ow you say, cover-up?” 

Hercules hums and presses a kiss to his boyfriend’s temple. Lafayette frowns as he finally registers different material under his arms, and turns around to see Hercules is in his suit.

“I just got a text,” Hercules answers his boyfriend’s questioning look. “POTUS has called a last-minute press briefing.”

Lafayette sighs as Hercules presses a quick kiss to his lips before letting go and heading to the front door.

“Duty calls.”

“Neither rain nor snow _nor tristesse de la nuit.”_ Says Lafayette forgetting the rest in English.

Hercules snorts as he grabs his keys, “Babe, that’s the Postal Service. We’re the Secret Service.”

“I do not see the difference.”

Hercules grins as he opens the front door and steps out onto the landing then turns to see Lafayette leaning against the doorframe. He steps back and hooks an arm around the younger’s waist, pulling him close.

“One protects your father from getting shot; the other delivers your father depressing news.”

Lafayette smiles slightly then leans up on tippy toes to press a kiss to Hercules’ lips.

“Stay safe, _mon amour_.”

“I always do.”

And with that, Hercules was gone. Lafayette shut the door on the cold and wandered back into the living room. The tv was still showing the devastating carnage in Hong Kong. He picked up his HoloFrame, tapped the screen a few times, and frowned when he kept getting the access denied screen. Something was wrong; something was very wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed chapter four/chapter five. It says five, but it's actually chapter four.  
> Did I do ok on the fluff? I tried my best.  
> I know Lafayette was actually super tall, but in fanfiction world, I can do whatever I want so deal with it.  
> See you next week!


	6. Sound of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan nearly gets killed by Russians, the Dutch Boy crew get the joy of searching 1,270 satellites, and Peggy is introduced!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and Peggy!!! I really loved how I portrayed her, so proud!  
> Like always, I do not own anything recognizable.  
> Alex gets his first mini heart-to-heart with John while managing to annoy his entire crew.  
> Enjoy!

> _“It comes like a lightning flash._
> 
> _And the sky is torn_
> 
> _At your back like a loaded gun_
> 
> _But the fight has just begun.”_

_ICC_

_Pacific Climate Control HQ_

_Hong Kong_

_China_

After his call to Lafayette, Nathan sat in his office, trying to gain access to Hong Kong’s satellite. He tapped a few keys and frowned when-access denied-flashed across his screen again. He tapped his fingers on his desk in irritation; who was denying him access to the satellites? The more worrying question was, why? Nathan suddenly got the idea to try to access another Pacific satellite and had barely started working when the lights and everything else went out. 

Nathan sat in the dark, bewildered for a few seconds before looking around, wondering where he could find a flashlight when he sat light approaching from beyond the office’s frosted glass doors. Nathan quickly stood up; he felt like he was in some government thriller movie, and unfortunately, it looked like he was the guy that got killed off in the first ten minutes. Thinking quickly, he ran over to a supply closet and slipped in before the door opened and men in suits holding guns filtered in. 

_“ Искать все. Узнайте, что он знает.”_

Nathan couldn’t see anything happening, not daring to look through the grate on the door in case they spotted him, but he could hear the rifling of papers and knew they were going through his things. He anxiously waited, not daring to move or even breathe deeply in case they heard anything. Whatever was happening with Dutch Boy seemed bigger than someone covering up a mistake, and whoever was behind it didn’t want anyone to figure it out. 

_“Возьми его ноутбук, пошли.”_

Nathan heard more movement then footsteps, the sound of the office door opening, closing. Silence. Nathan waited a few more minutes, straining his ears to make sure they had left, before opening the storage door and slipping out. His desk was empty; they had taken everything, including his laptop. Nathan ran a hand through his hair; he had to get to America; now.

* * *

_International Space Station IV_

_Central Maintenance for Project Dutch Boy_

“So the satellite that went rogue over Afghanistan, what type was that?”

Alex stood in the space station’s central hub, looking at the massive main screen in front of him from the command deck. 

“That’s a favorite of ours,” said Benedict from where he was sitting in front of a screen showcasing satellites. “We call it a ‘rock-n-roller.”

He pressed a few buttons, and the model of Dutch Boy on the main screen highlighted a series of satellites. Alex stepped down from the command deck and walked closer to the screen.

“The SR-22. Uses sonic waves to slow molecular movement causing cooling, but in the case of Afghanistan, freezing. Why?”

He turned to look back up at his team, all clustered around John, reminding Alex of chicks around a mother hen.

“We don’t know,” said Ben looking a little nervous, “We checked the satellites’ hard drives, but the logs were wiped clean by the malfunction.”

“Alright,” said Alex walking over to a computer terminal, “let’s pull up every ‘rock-n-roller’ satellite we have to see if we can find any corruption in their logs.”

John nodded and walked over to Robert, “Pull up every ‘rock-n-roller’ in the net.”

Robert frowned as he tapped his screen, “There has to be more than a thousand of them.”

“1,270 to be exact,” said Alex looking up at them. “And we’re going to scan each and every one of them.”

His team looked at each other in a mixture of dread and annoyance. Scanning a thousand plus satellites was going to take all day. Lizzy leaned over to her commander, “Is he serious?”

John looked at Hamilton; he was abrasive, rude, and a little full of himself. However, he was also the mind behind the entirety of Dutch Boy, and the person Washington had sent up to find out what was happening. If John ever wanted to figure out what had happened, Alexander Hamilton was his best bet; especially considering his crew still hadn’t figured it out.

“You heard Mr. Hamilton,” said John loudly, addressing the entire room, “we scan every satellite, and I suggest you get started if you don’t want to be here all day.”

The team murmured a variety of ‘yes sirs’ before setting off to do their tasks. Alex made his way up to the command deck and walked until he was next to John. The Chief Scientist barely spared him a glance as he looked at the main screen, where the “rock-n-roller” satellites-and honestly, that was such a cool name for them he wished he had thought of it first-were being pulled up one by one. 

“Alex.”

John startled and turned to look at him, “What?”

“Alex, everyone calls me that unless they’re mad at me.”

“And what do they call you then?”

“Alexander, if you’re my father. A complicated series of French and English curse words, if you’re my brother.”

John smiled slightly, and Alex resolved to try and make him smile more. 

“Hey, listen, I’m sorry for before when I first got here. I shouldn’t have started going off on station maintenance and what not when there was a bigger problem.”

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

Alex blinked at the abruptness of the statement, but relaxed when John gave him another small smile. 

“But, I also understand that you have not been up here in a long time, and seeing Dutch Boy again, up close, it must be like coming home.”

It was Alex’s turn to smile. He had never met anybody who understood him like how John seemed to. Eliza certainly hadn’t, which was one of the main reasons for their divorce. 

“Yeah, it is like coming home.”

* * *

_Washington D.C._

Lafayette walked swiftly through the building, heading toward the one person he knew who had the knowledge and temperament to help him.

“Peggy.”

Peggy Schuyler looked up from her computer terminal and pulled out an earbud.

“Laf? What are you doing here?”

Lafayette blinked at her, temporarily distracted.

“ _Quoi?_ What do you mean? I work here.”

“Yeah, but not down here in millennial village.”

Despite the number of years they had known each other, Lafayette still didn’t understand half of what Peggy said.

“I have a _favoriser_ to ask of you. You are the best at what you do, but I need you to keep this a _caché_ between only the two of us.”

“Okay,” said Peggy, “I’m interested, carry on.”

Lafayette pulled out his HoloFrame, “I have a _problème_ with my HoloFrame.”

Peggy gave him a look, “Do I look like a Genius Bar to you?”

“I have no idea what that means.”

“I’m sitting here defending the free world against state operators and cyberterrorists, but Grandpa needs help fixing his phone.”

Lafayette sighed and looked around the room before leaning in closer and shaking the HoloFrame at his friend.

“Non, I have a problem. I cannot get through to satellite G-22 over Hong Kong.”

“So a satellite has a bad comm. That sometimes happens, Laf.”

“Non. Not _a_ satellite, _all_ of them.”

Peggy stared at him, and Lafayette gave her a significant look. She looked around the room before plucking the HoloFrame from his hands.

“I am mildly intrigued. Stay.”

Lafayette hopped up onto her desk, which was high enough to let his feet dangle off the ground. Peggy plugged in the HoloFrame and waited as the computer processed the request before typing away when the two devices connected.

“Okay, it looks like vanilla line disruption, bad server relay, trunk failure, or something. Hey, are you still dating that Secret Service guy?”

Lafayette startled and nearly fell off the desk.

_“Quoi! Non!”_

Peggy raised an eyebrow at him.

“I am not dating anyone.”

“Sure,” said Peggy, turning back to the computer. “Did you know when you get flustered, you slip into French?”

Lafayette spluttered as she continued working.

“Wait, look. Oh, my God.”

“What,” asked Lafayette, leaning in closer.

“Someone wanted to block your access without you even knowing it was intentional. But this,” she took the HoloFrame out of the computer and handed it to Lafayette, “is very intentional, and it’s very clever.”

Lafayette’s mind whirled as he reached for the device, but Peggy pulled it back.

“And I know what you’re gonna say. You’re gonna say, ‘Tell no one.’ And I won’t, but I didn’t sign up to work here so I could cubicle-squat 24/7. So whatever is going on, I want in on the action.”

“I am hoping that there is no action.”

“Don’t be naive, Laf,” she said, allowing him to take back the HoloFrame, ”we saw Olympus has Fallen together. There’s going to be action.”

“This is nothing like that movie.”

“Uh-huh, sure. Next thing you know, there’s going to be men breaking into the White House to kidnap your father.”

Lafayette glared at her as he slipped off the desk.

“Do not joke about things like that.”

Peggy rolled her eyes, “Relax. Your dad has the combined might of your Secret Service boyfriend and your aunt, who, may I remind you, is a badass Secretary of Defense. He’s as safe as he can be.”

“For the last time, we are not dating!”

“Sure you aren’t sweety,” said Peggy with a charming smile. “You keep telling yourself that.”

“You know you signed up for the wrong job if you did not want to, how did you put it, ‘ _cabine-squat vingt-quatre sept.”_

Peggy shrugged, “I thought this job would be a lot more exciting. Although, it looks like the excitement is starting.”

Lafayette sighed, “Let us hope not, but fine; I will come to you if I have more information, yes?”

Peggy grinned, “That’s all I ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Sound of War by Tommee Profitt and Fleurie.  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!!  
> See you next week!!!


	7. Love and War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and John have a moment before Alex and Lafayette have a screaming match that John has the joy of watching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Better late than never right? Technically it is still Friday, so it counts.  
> I own nothing recognizable.  
> Enjoy!

> _ In life, in love, this time I can’t afford to lose  _
> 
> _ For one, for all, I’ll do what I have to do _
> 
> _ You can’t understand; it’s all part of the plan _
> 
> _ Lover, hunter, friend, and enemy _
> 
> _ You will always be every one of these” _

_ International Space Station IV _

_ Central Maintenance for Project Dutch Boy _

The team was sitting around in one of the many computer hubs on the station, taking a break from scanning 1,270 satellites. They were all getting discouraged from the lack of results, and everyone’s eyes were hurting from staring at screens for hours. A few minutes ago, Mary and Anna had wheeled in a coffee cart, scolded both John and Alex for not taking a break, and refused to leave until they saw each colleague grab a cup. Alex was currently refilling his when the doors opened, and Robert walked in.

“Mr. Laurens, we’ve just been given a priority communication request.”

“From Climate Command?” Asked John getting up.

“The White House.”

John blinked in surprise then turned along with everyone else when they heard Alex groan. 

“ _ Mierda _ . That’s probably for me,” he muttered. “My brother said I was going to be ‘taking commands from someone.’ I was hoping they would forget.”

“Let me take you to our communications room, so you can ‘receive your commands,’” said John in amusement.

The two walked through the station, Alex muttering in a mixture of Spanish and French much to the amusement of John, who understood everything he was saying.

“Whoever this ‘Lafayette’ is, sounds like they should stay out of sight from you for their continued well being.”

Alex tripped over his feet in shock while John, laughing, quickly grabbed his arm to steady him. 

“Y-you understood all that?”

John smiled, “My mother was Puerto Rican, she taught me Spanish side-by-side with English so that I would grow up with a bit of my heritage. And I did boarding school in France.”

“Good for her. She sounds like a smart woman.”

John’s smile turned sad, “Yes, she was.”

Alex silently cursed; he couldn’t keep himself from messing up in front of John. First, he was rude and insulting, now he was sad, and honestly, Alex couldn’t decide which one was worse. He liked John, liked his face and his smile, liked how he wasn’t afraid to call him out when he was insensitive, and his laugh. Dear Lord, help him. Alex had only heard it for a few seconds, but his mind was already searching for opportunities to listen to it again. Did John like jokes? Maybe he could tell one, though Lafayette had always said he was horrible at them. Perhaps he could trip again-

“Alex? Are you okay?”

Alex blinked. He hadn’t realized he had stopped walking and was awkwardly staring into the distance. John’s hands were on his shoulders, and he had bent down slightly to look him in the eyes. Alex focused on the concern in John’s green eyes, and...promptly forgot what was happening. 

“Eh?  _ Qué?” _

“I asked if you were alright. You spaced out on me.”

“Oh, yeah, no, I’m fine.”

John gave him a look that said I don’t believe you, but I’ll let it go this time-and removed his hands. Alex instantly missed their comforting weight. The two began walking again, and Alex was wondering just how long they were making the White House people wait when John asked a question.

“Do you zone out often?”

“Not usually. It takes a lot to make me speechless. My brother is fond of saying that the only thing that can make me forget how to speak is a pretty face. Although there was that time I met an especially annoying scientist named Aaron Burr, and let me tell you, he has no opinions like whatsoever. I got so angry at him once I think I forgot how to talk-”

Alex stopped talking abruptly as his mind finally caught up to what had spilled from his mouth. 

_ ‘Oh shit, oh shit, OH SHIT!!!’ _

Alex was scared to look at his companion, though John hadn’t stopped walking, so it couldn’t be all that bad, right? He took a deep mental breath, then looked over at John and nearly tripped again. John was  _ blushing  _ and, dear Lord help him, it made his freckles stand out even more, and he was looking away as if he wasn’t sure what to say (and honestly, who could blame him?), and Alex got the crazy urge to kiss him.

“W-we’re here.”

It was probably a good thing they had reached the communication room because Alex wasn’t entirely sure what he would have done if they had been left alone for much longer. Alex walked to the middle of the room, then turned to look at John, who was trying to appear as professional as possible. 

“All right, so who are the yahoos in Washington we gotta deal with on this?”

John didn’t have time to stop Alex from talking, so he just bit his lip to stop himself from laughing as someone answered Alex.

“I guess I would be the head yahoo.”

Alex glared half-heartedly at John, who was not doing a perfect job of hiding his amusement. Alex turned around and was met with the sight of Vice President George King, other suited guys who might be bodyguards, and his brother.

“Hey.”

Vice President King looked slightly amused as he addressed Alex.

“Lafayette tells me you don’t have a high opinion of politicians, which is ironic considering who your father is.”

“I didn’t say that-I didn’t mean that-”

“Well, neither do I.”

That was startling.

“We went through hell, getting the world on board for this program. We’ve come too far for it to fail. You and I both understand why we cannot let that happen.”

Alex may not like politicians, his foster father might be the only exception, but he wasn’t an idiot. He had to play politely if he was going to be allowed to stay up here.

“Yes, sir. So, if I find anything, I’ll report it to you right away.”

“Actually, you’ll be reporting to Lafayette. Good luck. Have at it.”

The Vice President quickly exited the room before either Alex or Lafayette could protest the positions he had put them in, leaving the room empty except for the two of them and John. John could sense the tension immediately skyrocket despite the fact one of them was on Earth, and the other was on a satellite. He approached Alex, and hesitantly laid a hand on his arm. 

“I’ll leave you two alone and be in my office if you need-”

“Stay.”

Both John and Lafayette looked at Alex in surprise.

“Are you sure-”

“Alexander, this-”

“Shut it, Laf. John stays. That is if you want to, of course.”

John looked at the slightly pleading engineer, trying to see what was whirling in his mind. 

“If you are sure-”

“Absolutely.”

“Then yes, I’ll stay.”

“Good. Great. Alright, I suppose introductions are in order,” Alex rubbed his hands together to prevent them from betraying his mind and touching John. “Assistant Secretary betrayer and liar, Chief Scientist John Laurens.”

John raised an eyebrow at Alex, while Lafayette sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Very mature, Alexander. My name is-”

“Stupidly long and complicated, even in French? Yeah, we’re aware.”

“-Lafayette. I am the person in charge of Dutch Boy in Washington.”

“And you are brothers,” said John looking between the two.

“Adopted,” said Alex and Lafayette together, which had them glaring at each other while John hid a smile. The smile quickly disappeared as Alex remembered why he was angry.

“I’ll be reporting to you? You lied to me again.”

“No,” said Lafayette with a sigh, “I did not lie to you. I did not know Vice President King was going to be assigning me this position.”

Alex scoffed as he turned around in a full circle looking at the walls of the room.

“John, how do I switch this thing off?”

“Alex, listen, there is something you need to know. We have been having issues down here accessing the Dutch Boy Satcom.” 

John frowned, and Alex finally looked at his brother. Lafayette bit his lip, wondering if he should be saying this next part, but ‘ _ fuck it,’  _ he thought, ‘ _ what I have to lose?’  _

“We have reason to believe that it, well, it may not be _accidentel_.”

Alex and John exchanged a look.

“What do you mean it might not be accidental?” Asked John, stepping forward until he stood beside Alex.

“I have been trying to access the Hong Kong satellite. Nothing.”

“I knew it,” muttered Alex.

“What,” said John looking between the brothers, “it might be possible?”

“Yeah, it’s possible. But even if you could access the Hong Kong satellite remotely, you’re not gonna get the logs you need.”

“Of course not,” said John, following Alex’s train of thought, “we have to pull that kind of information from the actual satellite up here.”

“Okay,” said Lafayette, “I can, how you say, _autoriser que_.”

Alex bristled, Lafayette sighed as he realized his mistake, and John took a small step back; he had a feeling it was about to get loud. 

“I don’t need your damn authorization for anything. How about you count on me to do my job and say thank you?”

“Alex, that is how the system works. Everyone reports to someone else, and they report to someone else, and it keeps going. I did not ask to be put in charge of you, just like I did not ask to be put in charge of Dutch Boy three years ago.”

“Oh, do not! Get me started on that! You fired me!”

Lafayette threw his hands in the air, “I had no choice! I had an entire committee out for you! I could not keep you on; it would have looked like-like _favoritisme_. And then there was father’s campaign-”

“Oh yes, how could I forget? Can’t ruin his political chances by having his messed up adopted son running a machine that controls the weather. I know, let’s put his younger, prettier, more successful son in charge, that’ll look great on campaign posters!  _ Todavía no puedo creer que me vendieron para una campaña política-” _

“Very mature Alex,  _ c'est pourquoi tu dois m'écouter de temps en temps pour ne pas être viré de la seule chose que vous appréciez-” _

“Stop! Stop arguing!”

Both Alex and Lafayette broke off their multilingual tirades to look at John in surprise; they had both forgotten he was in the room. 

“I get that you two have a history and don’t particularly like each other, fine, whatever. But right now, we have a problem, a severe problem if it turns out that Dutch Boy is being tampered with. Alexander, you are the best person for this job, that is why you are up here. Lafayette is the person you have to report to. You will need to get over it if we are all going to manage to work together to figure out what is happening. Both of you sort out your issues later; right now, we have a satellite to investigate.”

With those parting words, John walked out of the room, leaving two star-struck men behind. Lafayette knew the Chief Scientist was right; whatever issues he and Alex had had to be put aside if they were going to figure out what was happening with Dutch Boy. He frowned slightly since when had Alex ever let anyone call him Alexander? He was shaken out of his musing thoughts by the man himself who sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Look, I don’t say this often, but John’s right.”

“Oh God, the world is ending.”

“Shut up, Laf. Just let me do my thing, and I will try to report to you as civilly as possible.”

“Perhaps you should bring John with you next time, he seems to be able to, what is the word- _ te rafraîchir? Vous sortir de vos cris exhaustifs? Vous apprivoiser?! _

“Alright, I’m done. End transmission.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!  
> Love and War is by Fleurie.  
> See you next week!


	8. Invisible Strings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A satellite tries to kill everyone, Alex nearly dies in space, John almost has a heart attack, Alex almost-kisses John, Angelica gives Alex a shovel talk, and the plot thickens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aware it's not Friday, cut me some slack I had three papers due today.   
> Ben speaks Spanish because I say so.  
> Alex's appearance is based on the historical one because, while I love Lin-Manuel Miranda, red hair and blue eyes...*insert chef kiss*  
> I don't own anything recognizable.  
> Enjoy!

> _ Time, curious time _
> 
> _ Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs _
> 
> _ Were there clues I didn't see? _
> 
> _ And isn't it just so pretty to think _
> 
> _ All along there was some _
> 
> _ Invisible string _
> 
> _ Tying you to me? _

_ International Space Station IV _

_ Central Maintenance for Project Dutch Boy _

“Hong Kong satellite 022 inbound for examination,” said Mary, as the satellite was grabbed by a mechanical arm and brought into the bay.

“Alright,” said Alex, leading his crew down the steps and onto the ground floor to look up at the satellite. “Let’s take this thing apart and find out what happened in Hong Kong.”

“Bring it down,” commanded John.

Ben moved the joystick that commanded the mechanical arms and frowned.

“It should have come down by now.”

The arm whirled and jerked around, while Ben and Lizzy tried frantically to control it.

“What’s happening?” Hissed John at the two robotics engineers.

“I have no idea,” Lizzy shot back as she anxiously pounded a few keys.

The other members of the crew exchanged worried looks as the arm continued jerking around haphazardly. 

“Shut it down!” Shouted Alex, as he and the others reflexively ducked as the satellite dropped a little.

“It’s not responding!” Panicked Ben. 

The arm jerked around, dragging the satellite with it, and causing everyone to jump back.

“Jesus, Benny! Turn the damn thing off!” Shouted Caleb.

The arm whirled around and suddenly came for them.

“Get down!” Shouted Alex as everyone backed up.

The arm jerked upward and started spinning the satellite around, nearly knocking off a couple of guys who were on the surrounding catwalk.

“Get out of here!” Yelled John. “Go!”

The crew didn’t need to be told twice as they all bolted for the catwalk—the satellite twirling after them like some demented mechanical ballerina. Angelica ran to the sealed door and started banging on the glass.

“Somebody, open this door now!

__ The crew eyed the frantically whirling satellite in horror as they realized they were currently trapped in the bay area with it. The satellite zoomed overhead, causing everyone to duck. No one realized the satellite had abruptly changed its course, stopping in midair before going back the same way, until Alex tackled John to the ground and shouted at the others to get down.

Benedict grabbed Caleb’s shoulder and dragged the two of them to the floor as the satellite went over them. Ben and Lizzy ran to the side and threw themselves off the catwalk before the satellite could knock them over. Everyone looked up in horror as the arm jerked upward, hitting the ceiling, and started flailing around, smacking the satellite into everything it could come in contact with. Then, with a last great clang, the arm snapped in half and crashed to the floor, bringing the satellite down with a final loud screech of metal. 

Everyone shakily got to their feet. John took Alex’s proffered hand and allowed himself to be helped up. A shaky Benedict and Caleb pulled themselves up using the wall, and Ben and Lizzy peered out from their hiding spot underneath the catwalk. Meanwhile, Angelica had finally gotten someone to open the doors, and crew members came rushing in, led by Abe.

Alex walked to the railing and leaned over to survey the damage with a shaky and slightly scared-looking John.

“Let’s pick up every single piece of this thing and get it down to manufacturing.”

“Right,” murmured John as he looked around for Ben and Lizzy.

“Hey,” said Alex quietly, grasping John’s wrist before he had a chance to leave.

“Are you okay? You’re shaking.”

John was shaking, small tremors going through his body as the adrenaline

slowed down. He ran a trembling hand through his curly hair messing up the ponytail.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine. Just, shit. What was that?”

Alex met his green eyes, “I don’t know. But Lafayette’s theory is starting to sound more plausible.”

_ “En serio.” _

* * *

The crew walked through maintenance still shaky from earlier but having too much adrenaline coursing through their veins to take a break. Alex sighed as they reached the pile of scrap metal that used to be a working satellite. 

“Do you think we can retrieve the logs from the hard drives?”

“Well,” said Benedict, “the accident created an electrical short that fried all the drives, so no.”

“It’s toast,” agreed Caleb, eyeing the wreckage that had nearly killed them. 

“So we’ve lost all the drives with possible corruption? That’s just great.” Said Alex running a hand through his hair. 

“Not all of them,” said Abe.

“What do you mean?” John turned to look at him.

“I was reviewing your video of the accident that killed Seabury,” said Abe as he walked them over to a bank of computers. “Each of the panels that blew has a drive inside. And one of them,” he pressed the screen and brought up a camera image of the outside of the station, “got stuck in the communication tower.”

Alex leaned forward and zoomed in the image more.

“It looks like the seal locks are still intact. If we’re lucky, the corrupted drive will still be inside. We gotta get that panel back.”

* * *

_ Washington D.C. _

Lafayette frowned as his phone rang, prompting him to stop in the middle of the driveway and answer it.

“Hello?”

“I just got into D.C.,” said Nathan from a payphone at the airport. “We have to meet.”

“Nathan? What are you doing-”

“I figured some of it out. Meet me at 10:00 at the place across the square where the group used to have lunch. Back in college.”

“Nathan, I do not understand-”

“Please, Laf! What I found...it’s not good.”

“Okay, I will be there,  _ mon ami _ .”

Lafayette hung up and turned around to look at Hercules, who had raised an eyebrow. 

“That was Nathan; he is here in D.C. and wants to meet.”

“What, now?”

“Yes, it sounds urgent.”

Hercules sighed, “So much for a nice night in. Where are we going?”

* * *

_ International Space Station IV _

_ Central Maintenance for Project Dutch Boy _

“You know you don’t have to come with me, right?”

John gave Alex a look. “The last time you were in space was three years ago. I wouldn’t trust you to do a simple space-walk, let alone fetch the panel.”

Alex grumbled something unintelligible as he followed John to the airlock, feeling clumsy in the spacesuit. An alarm went off, and the airlock door opened, revealing the satellite stretched out in front of them. 

_ “You’re clear to exit.” _ Robert’s voice came over the headsets. 

“Step across the gravity threshold and follow me,” said John as he stepped out into space. “Let’s get the panel and see what’s on those drives.”

As John and Alex headed toward the panel, the rest of the crew watched their progress from inside the control room. John reached the panel first and tugged on it, trying to dislodge it from where it was stuck in-between two bars of the communication tower. Alex floated up next to him. “Wait, hold up.”

He grabbed one of the bars. “We designed the tower to have emergency de-rig ports so that the bars can be moved easily.”

Alex tugged on the bar until it disconnected, allowing John to pull the panel free. Alex let go of the bar, and it slipped back into place. Alex grabbed the panel and started following John back to the airlock. “Control, the panel is secured. We are on our way back.”

_ “Roger that.”  _ Said, Robert.

John had been in front of Alex, so he didn’t notice anything was wrong until Alex slammed into him and ricocheted off to hit another part of the satellite. John quickly righted himself, wincing at the new bruises he was going to have tomorrow undoubtedly. “Alex? What’s happening?”

“It’s the suit!” Gasped out Alex as he was flung into the satellite repeatedly, clutching the panel. “I can’t control the damn suit!  _ Mierda! _ ”

In the control room, alarms were blaring, and people were running around. Ben ran over to Benedict and Angelica. “What’s going on?”

“His suit is malfunctioning,” answered Robert as his fingers raced over the keyboard.”

“Alex, do you read me?” Benedict spoke into his headpiece.

Angelica leaned over his shoulder. “Benedict, tell him to cut it.”

“Alex cut off the fuel intake.”

“It’s not responding!” Alex could barely get the words out as his breathing continued to be restricted due to his constant smacking into the satellite. He could hear John yelling at both him and the crew over the headpiece, but he couldn’t make out what was being said. Alex continued to be flung into parts of the satellite. He groaned as he left broken pieces of the satellite behind him as he continued his destructive journey. Alex tried grabbing onto something, anything to try and stop himself, but he couldn’t get a solid grip on anything with the panel in his other hand.  _ ‘No, no, no, no,’  _ thought Alex as he was flung into the solar panels and skidded across them, ripping up the delicate wiring and smashing the glass. 

“Alex!” Shouted John as he moved as fast as he could toward the other. “Hold on!”

“I-can’t!”

John tried to move faster as he saw Alex getting closer to where the satellite stopped, and deep space began. He saw Alex abandon the panel and scrabble at the solar panels trying to find a purchase. 

“Eject the pack, eject the pack!” 

The booster pack was ejected, and Alex felt himself slow down, but he still didn’t have any control of his movements. He continued turning and spinning and saw space get closer. In the control room, the crew stared in horror as they watched Alex tumble closer to disappearing forever. 

“Oh, Christ. We’re gonna lose him.” Exclaimed Benedict. “We’re gonna lose him!”

Angelica watched in equal horror as Alex got closer to the edge of the satellite. She may not like Alex a whole lot since he broke Eliza’s heart, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see him disappear into space. She couldn’t even fathom how she would break the news to Phillip or God, Lafayette, and their foster family.  _ ‘Come on, Alex, come on!’ _

Alex’s thoughts were in alignment with Angelica’s. As he continued to tumble closer to the edge, he thought of Lafayette and how devested his brother would be. He thought of Washington, and maybe they didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but he and Martha and Lilianna had taken him in. Oh God, Martha, this would break her heart, and Philip...he couldn’t break that promise. 

His hand snagged a wire, and Alex gripped it with all the strength he possessed. His body jolted as it was abruptly stopped, and he finally got the chance to breathe. John could have cried as he saw Alex hanging onto a wire at the very edge of the satellite. John couldn’t think of a time he had been as terrified as he had been a couple of seconds earlier. He carefully made his way to the edge and grabbed Alex’s hand, pulling him away from deep space. 

“I guess it was a good thing you came with me after all.” Alex managed to get out as they made their way back to the airlock. 

“I knew there was a reason I couldn’t trust you.”

Alex’s breathy laugh turned into a groan as the various bruises started making themselves known. John shot him a worried look but didn’t say anything until they were both safely ensconced in the satellite and could take off their suits.

“Are you alright?”John asked, then mentally smacked himself for asking a question with an obvious answer. 

Alex, who had slid to the floor the second he got the suit off, looked up at John. “Just peachy. Besides the hundreds of bruises and feeling like I got put into the world’s biggest washing machine.”

John huffed and eased himself down next to Alex. “I meant any broken bones or anything that needs immediate medical attention.”

“Does a bruised ego count?”

John quirked an eyebrow up.

“The man who built Dutch Boy and saved the world tumbling around in space breaking things can’t have looked too hot.”

John snorted. “In your defense, it wasn’t your choice to go tumbling around in space. Also, no one looks good in a spacesuit.”

“You can pull it off.”

John blushed and looked away. Alex tapped his fingers on the hard drive in his hands, wondering what would happen if he leaned in and kissed John when the other turned back to look at him and spotted the drive. 

“You got the drive?” John looked at him in shock and admiration. No one else could have pulled that off. 

Alex held it up. “I grabbed it when I freed the panel.”

“You’re amazing.”

For the second time in minutes, John mentally smacked himself for the words that came out of his mouth. His blush deepened while Alex smirked slightly. “I have to say,” he said as he reached a hand out and tucked a stray curl behind John’s ear, “that was not what I was expecting to hear come out of your mouth. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. I do believe my bruised ego is healing.”

Luckily for John-and, perhaps unluckily for Alex, who was trying to psych himself up just to kiss the man-the door opened, and the rest of the crew came in. Ben immediately started rattling off a list of things Alex had broken in a slightly hysterical voice. 

“-you smashed up a dozen commlinks, TCAS sensors-”

“Don’t mind him,” said Lizzy, pulling Ben away as he continued his rant in Spanish. 

“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” said Alex sarcastically as he quickly hid the drive, John watching in confusion. 

“What happened out there?” Alex raised an eyebrow at Angelica.

“Is that a hint of worry, I hear?”

Angelica narrowed her eyes at him, and Alex quickly answered her question.

“Propulsion throttle locked up.”

“And you lost the door panel, which means no drive codes,” said Benedict running a hand through his hair. 

“Back to square one,” agreed Alex, shooting John a look that said, ‘I’ll explain later.’

John didn’t make it a habit to keep his crew in the dark about anything, but after all the things that had happened both up here and on Earth, he decided to stay quiet and trust Alex. The crew sighed and grumbled, Caleb muttered “Great,” and Ben started muttering in Spanish again. 

“Everyone, let’s take a break. We’ll convene later and come up with a new plan,” said John standing and helping Alex get up. 

The crew continued muttering as they set off in the direction of the rec room. Everyone except Angelica, who stayed behind and pinned the two men in place with a very fierce look. “You two need to go to medical.”

Alex waved her off. “Unnecessary. I’m fine. I feel like I got run over multiple times, but I’m fine.”

Angelica narrowed her eyes. “I know you, Alex I don’t need a repeat of that one time you and Lafayette went skydiving and landed roughly, insisted you were fine, only to find out a day later you had broken your ankle.”

“That was one time-”

“Or that time you fell down the stairs, got a minor wrist fracture, ignored it, and ended up breaking it while trying to open a jar of pickles.”

“Angelica, this is none of those times-”

“Or that other time in college, with the sheep-”

“Okay, you made your point! I’ll go to medical! Sheesh.”

John watched the interaction between the two in amusement and was about to ask about the sheep when Angelica turned to him.

“Don’t think I forgot about you, John. You’re as bad as Alex. Do I need to remind you about the slippery corridor incident?”

“No, no, you don’t,” said John, quickly ignoring Alex’s intrigued look and starting the walk to medical. 

Angelica followed them, ignoring Alex’s complaints of ‘not needing to be mothered.’ When they arrived at medical, they were met by Dr. Benjamin Rush, who gave an exasperated sigh as he saw the two men.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t see you here quite so soon, Dr. Laurens, and Mr. Hamilton, I was hoping I would never see you again.”

Alex snorted, “Good to see you too, Dr. Rush. Did you miss me?”

“Not at all.”

“Why don’t you check over John first. I want to have a chat with Alex,” said Angelica, already tugging Alex into another examination room.

Alex sent a desperate ‘help me’ look at John, who only laughed and waved at him.

“If you’re dragging me in here to kill me, just know there are more efficient and better ways to do it than on a space station.”

Angelica rolled her eyes and let go of him.

“I’m not going to kill you, Alex I want to talk to you.”

“If this is about that time with the sheep-”

“Do you like John?”

Alex blinked at her and opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before eloquently saying, “huh?”

Angelica rolled her eyes again. “Let me rephrase you like John. What do you intend to do about it?”

“I don’t-I mean-I-how?”

“It’s obvious, Alex. The way you look at him as if he hung the freaking stars in the sky. The fact that you let him call you Alexander. You never let anyone call you that, you didn’t even let Eliza call you that.”

Alex winced at the mention of his ex-wife. “Look, Angelica, about Eliza. I’m sorry for how things ended, I didn’t mean to hurt her, and I wholeheartedly acknowledge and accept the blame for lack of communication and the general unwillingness to make it work.”

Angelica sighed and sat next to him on the bed. “If I’m honest with myself, I forgave you a long time ago. I was pissed at first, but you two weren’t really right for each other in retrospect. On paper, you looked great, but in real life, you didn’t click. I saw it, but I ignored it; I should have said something. Also, you can’t not give some of the blame to Eliza.”

The two were silent for a minute, then Alex broke it with a softly spoken, “I do like him a lot.”

Angelica raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

Alex sighed and ran a hand through his fiery red hair. “I don’t just mean his looks either. I mean, he’s gorgeous and cute, and his hair is ridiculously soft.”

Angelica snorted, and Alex shot her a crooked grin.

“He gets me like no else ever has. Not even Laf understood me as well as John does when we were on speaking terms. He’s passionate, fiercely protective of his crew, can handle all my bullshit with Lafayette, knows when to keep a cool, clear head, and is just on the right side of recklessness.”

“So he’s perfect for you. The right amount of crazy to mesh with you and the right amount of common sense to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

Alex snorted but didn’t correct her. Angelica eyed him, Alex was a good guy, a little too cocky and self-assured sometimes, but he had a good heart. Angelica tapped Alex’s knee until he turned to look at her.

“Listen closely because I’m only going to say this once. I’m giving you my blessing, John is the sweetest person you’ll ever meet, and he deserves someone who’ll give him the world. If you break his heart, I’ll kill you and dump your body in space.”

Alex gravely nodded. “I understand and properly fear for my life now.”

Angelica snorted softly and pushed at his shoulder. “Go get checked over, Alex.”

Alex slipped off the bed and walked to the door. He stopped and glanced over at Angelica. “Thanks, Angie.”

Angelica waved him off. “Go before John starts worrying that I killed you or something.”

Alex grinned and disappeared behind the door. Angelica heard Alex’s and John’s muffled voices along with the long-suffering sigh of Dr. Rush. Those two definitely deserved each other.

“Why didn’t you tell them about the drive?” 

John and Alex had finally been released from medical, John with a sprained wrist, Alex with bruised ribs, and identical stern warnings to ‘take it easy.’ The second the doors closed behind them, Alex had grabbed his non-injured wrist and tugged him down a hallway, pulling the drive out of his pocket with his free hand. 

“Because,” said Alex without pausing, “someone just tried to kill me.”

“I know my crew. I trust them.”

“You think you know them, but someone doesn’t want us to see what’s on this drive.”

John bristled slightly then thought about it, hundreds of people worked on Dutch Boy, how well did he know everyone? Alex led them to the room the crew had commandeered earlier as their “command center” and inserted the drive dropping John’s wrist in the process. John sat down, absently missing the warmth from Alex’s hand, and started carefully typing away, bringing up the drive’s information. It only took a couple of minutes to go through the data.

“Alex, there’s nothing here. No corruption at all.” Said John, scrolling through the data. “The doors weren’t accidentally blown off. They were programmed to. This wasn’t a malfunction.”

“No,” agreed Alex leaning over John’s shoulder, “someone intentionally killed Seabury. No doubt the same person that tampered with the Hong Kong satellite.”

“The user logins have been wiped clean. We have no digital fingerprints.” 

John sighed and leaned back, his head coming to rest on Alex’s shoulder. Alex’s red hair brushed against his cheek as the other man moved slightly to accommodate. 

“No, wait.” Blurted Alex. He shifted, and John quickly moved as Alex sat in the chair next to him. He gently bumped John’s chair to the side slightly as he pulled the keyboard towards himself. “Login records are synced back to the mainframe.”

“Okay, yes, but that’s the problem,” said John, confused. “If they are deleted in one place, they are deleted everywhere.”

“No, everywhere they know about.”

Alex turned to look at John. “When we built Dutch Boy, we put in a locked-off library. Something that would track and archive everything.” He turned back to the computer and resumed typing. “Our saboteur’s login info is going to be in there.”

Alex pressed a few keys then frowned as nothing happened. He pushed them again, and the computer chimed. John leaned forward to read the screen.

“You’ve been locked out.”

Alex grimaced and stood up, trying not to take his anger out on the machine. He started pacing while John watched him with worry in his green eyes. 

“Alex-” began John trying to find something to say when Alex abruptly stopped and turned to look at John. 

“The virtual conference room. How many have access to those transmissions?”

John frowned. “Anyone with level three access and above. Dozens of people.”

Alex ran a hand through his hair. “Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!  
> Invisible Strings is by Taylor Swift and literally the first song I saw that sort of fit the chapter so I went for it.  
> Benjamin Rush was surgeon general in the Continental Army, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence making him an official Founding Father.  
> See you next week!  
> Please send me good vibes to finish the next chapter!!!


	9. Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan Hale meets Hercules and nearly gets killed in the process. Alex has another fun conversation with Lafayette and nearly kisses John...again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still Friday!!!  
> This chapter was meant to be longer but I ran out of time.  
> I don't own anything recognizable including the secret message Alex gives Lafayette.  
> Enjoy!

> Soldier keep on marchin' on
> 
> Head down 'til the work is done
> 
> Waiting on that morning sun
> 
> Soldier keep on marchin' on

_ Yorktown Cafe _

_ Washington D.C. _

“Laf.”

“Hmm.”

“Laf.”

“Hmm?”

“Lafayette!”

“What?” 

Lafayette turned back around and saw Hercules giving him a fond, yet exasperated look over the table. “Relax, Laf. Nathan will be here.”

“Relax?  _ Je suis détendu, parfaitement calme.” _

Hercules snorted and got out of his seat, moving around the table to come up behind the other. “If this is relaxed, I’d hate to see you stressed.”

Hercules placed his hands on Lafayette’s shoulders and gently started massaging them. It took a few minutes, but Hercules eventually felt the tension bleed out of the other, and Lafayette relaxed under his lover’s hands. Hercules smiled fondly down at the Frenchman, remembering the first time he had gone to the Yorktown Cafe. 

He had finally worked up the courage to talk to the cute French guy in the State Department who ended up surprising him by asking Hercules if he wanted to go out for a coffee. Hercules had eagerly accepted and then had to remind himself over the next couple of hours that their scheduled outing wasn’t technically a date, so it didn’t break the Secret Service regulations. Those same regulations quickly went out the window during the coffee not-date, and soon enough, it had become a regular thing. 

Hercules couldn’t precisely pinpoint the exact day he realized he would willingly give up his job to be with Lafayette, but he could remember the day everything changed; when, in a fit of madness or passion, he had kissed the other man-in-the Oval Office. Hercules didn’t remember why they had both been in the Oval alone, but Lafayette had been explaining something, gesticulating wildly, and Hercules had just walked over and kissed him. Lafayette, of course, had been surprised but quickly melted into the kiss. Hercules was pretty sure they wouldn’t have stopped if they both hadn’t heard the President’s voice coming, and they sprang apart just as the door opened. 

That day also happened to be the same day Hercules found out that Lafayette was the President’s adopted son. Hercules smiled at the memory as he continued to massage Lafayette’s shoulders. He looked toward the cafe’s patio seating entrance and saw Nathan, easily recognizing him from the numerous photos Lafayette had of his college friends scattered around the house.

“Laf, Nate’s here.”

Lafayette opened his eyes-when had he closed them?-and peered up at Hercules. He nodded over to the right, and when Lafayette looked over, he saw Nathan standing across the street. 

“Oh, thank God.”

Lafayette quickly got up and anxiously bounced on the balls of his feet at the edge of the patio, waiting for Nathan to cross the busy street. Finally, there was a break in the cars, and Nathan hurried forward. Looking back at the moment, Hercules couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he knew something was wrong. Watching Nathan start to cross the street, Hercules felt a shiver of dread run down his spine. He stepped forward, one hand straying to his gun, but he knew he had acted too late when a car came screeching down the street, heading straight for the crowd crossing the intersection. 

People started screaming and running toward the other side of the street or back to where they had come from. 

“Mon Dieu!” Gasped Lafayette, face paling as the car rammed into the fleeing people. “Nathan!”

Lafayette started to rush forward, but Hercules quickly grabbed him, holding him back.

“You can’t go rushing into danger!”

“But Hercules, Nathan!”

Hercules didn’t have anything to say to that, and could only tighten his arms around him. While the two had been talking, the car had hit a few other people before speeding off down the street and disappearing. Lafayette quickly disentangled himself from Hercules and, grabbing his hand, dragged him out into the street. Other people had rushed into the street to offer what help they could, while others were on their phones calling 9-1-1. Lafayette weaved in-between injured and non-injured people alike, searching for Nathan. 

“Laf, over here.”

Hercules tugged the Frenchman to the right, and the two hurried over to a small group of people huddled around a couple on the ground. 

“Nathan, _ mon Dieu, est-ce que tu vas bien? Les ambulances sont en route.” _

“Laf, I don’t speak fucking French-shit!”

Hercules winced as Nathan paled at the sudden movement Lafayette had accidentally caused. It could have been worse, that’s what Hercules kept telling himself as Lafayette quietly apologized and started gently checking the other over for any injuries other than the broken leg. 

“Does it hurt anywhere?”

“You mean besides the leg?”

Lafayette managed a watery smile and gently brushed Nathan’s hair back. 

“Hey, Laf, I’m gonna be fine. It’ll take a lot more than a broken leg to kill me.”

“I know you are too stubborn to die.”

Nathan laughed, then winced and swore, holding his ribs with one hand and squeezing the life out of Lafayette’s hand with the other. 

“Probably a couple of broken ribs to go along with the leg,” said Hercules, “it could have been a lot worse.”

“No shit,” muttered Nathan. He squinted up at Hercules, “who are you?”

Lafayette glanced up at Hercules with a questioning look. He pursed his lips. Nathan was one of Lafayette’s closest friends and would want to know about any relationship Laf entered in. However, the only reason their relationship had lasted as long as it did was that they told no one, but from the stories Laf had told him, Nathan could be trusted. Hercules met Lafayette’s eyes and nodded. He got up and went to flag down an ambulance, a fleet of them having just pulled up, leaving Laf behind to tell Nathan their story.

By the time Hercules came back with a couple of paramedics and a gurney, Nathan was crying from a mixture of laughter and pain, and Lafayette’s expression was somewhere between guilt and amusement. 

“So, the Oval, huh?” Nathan raised an eyebrow at him, “That takes balls.”

Hercules grinned while helping Lafayette off the ground so that the paramedics could get to Nathan better. “Did he tell you we nearly got caught by the President in the process?”

Nathan snorted then winced as the paramedics got him onto the gurney and strapped him down. “I would have paid good money to see the look on George’s face if he had caught you kissing his son.”

“It gets better. That was the same day I learned Laf was his son.”

Nathan laughed, causing the paramedics to click their tongues at him and shoot dirty looks at Hercules. 

“We’re going to take him to the hospital now, sir. He’ll be at Sibley Memorial Hospital if you want to continue your conversation.”

The paramedics rolled Nathan over to the ambulance and hefted him inside. 

“Wait,” said Lafayette. He shook off Hercules’ hand and rushed over to Nathan. They had a quick talk before the paramedics shooed Lafayette out, closed the doors, and took off down the street. 

Hercules raised an eyebrow as Lafayette walked back over. “What was that about?”

Lafayette shook his head and looked up at Hercules with a frown. “Have you heard of something called Project Zeus?”

* * *

_ International Space Station IV _

_ Central Maintenance for Project Dutch Boy _

Alex paced impatiently in the virtual conference room, waiting for his brother to show up. He and John had tried multiple times to get into the locked-off library with no luck, and in the end, the two had to admit defeat. Alex knew what the various warnings meant, someone higher up the chain of command than he or John had locked them out of the system. There was a mole on the station and the government. Alex felt like he was living a spy movie, Laf’s inability to access the satellites, the airlock opening, the rogue satellite nearly murdering them all; something big was coming. He could see the individual pieces, but could not see the big picture, making him tense, anxious, and stressed beyond imagination.

Alex hadn’t realized he was tugging on his hair during his pacing until he felt warm hands cover his own and untangle his fingers. Those same hands circled his wrists and pulled them away from his face. Alex looked up into John’s worried green eyes and felt some of the tension bleed out. 

“Hey,” whispered John.

“Hi.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just, shit. What’s happening here and back on Earth is insane, and it feels like-”

“You’re living espionage, James Bond movie, and you’re just waiting for the next explosion to hit.”

Alex grinned. “Sounds about right.”

The two stood looking at each other for a long moment. Alex was close enough to John to see his eyes were not a uniform green but instead were made up of different shades that, on closer inspection, gave his eyes a kaleidoscope effect. It was the most beautiful thing Alex had ever seen. 

“What are you thinking?” 

Feeling poetic, Alex said, “Twin kaleidoscope green suns among a scattering of stars.” 

John blinked, clearly not comprehending what Alex was referring to. “That is oddly specific. I didn’t know you write poetry?”

“Only when I have a muse as stunning as the one in front of me.”

John clearly understood that as Alex watched a massive blush spread across his cheeks. Alex smiled softly and was in the process of trying to physic himself up just to ask the man out or kiss him when the holoscreen dinged and started forming. The two jumped apart, John dropping his wrists, as a harried Lafayette entered the room. Alex frowned and walked up to the screen, leaving John desperately trying to control his blush.

“Laf? Are you okay?”

Lafayette waved off the question. “They said it was urgent. What is it?”

Moment of truth, if Lafayette didn’t understand the next couple of minutes, they were screwed. 

“I wanted to...apologize.”

Alex cringed mentally at his insincere tone, as he watched Lafayette look at him in a mixture of annoyance and weariness. 

“ _S’excuser, maintenant._ _Si tu avais une idée de ce dont je me suis éloigné_ _._ You dragged me up here just to apologize?”

“Wait, what happened?”

“Nathan almost got killed for the second time in the same amount of days. He is currently in the hospital.”

“Mierde. He going to be okay?”

“He is fine, just a broken leg and a couple of ribs.”

“It sounds like someone tried to do to him what they did to Seabury.” Mused John.

Alex jumped, not realizing John had come up behind him. 

“Yes,” said Lafayette, “it would seem so, which means I need to go back before someone tries to murder him a third time and succeeds.  _ Excuses acceptées,  _ Alexander.”

He turned to go and had almost reached the door when Alex called out. “Laf, we don’t walk out on each other. That’s the unspoken code between brothers.”

Lafayette stopped dead and barely stopped himself from whipping around. As calmly as possible, he turned to look at Alex and raised a single eyebrow. Alex gave a nearly imperceptible nod before launching into the spiel John had helped him come up with after he finished laughing at the simplicity of it.

“You remember that day George took us fishing? Yeah, he dropped his cell phone in Key Biscayne. Proof the Washington’s aren’t fishermen. Four hours the three of us didn’t catch a thing. I tried to sabotage George’s reel so we could leave. The pin at the highest part of the spool, pulled it so the level mechanism would pop out. Of course, George was a government spy his whole life, caught me red-handed. ‘Trust me,’ he said, ‘I get it. No one likes to fail. But I’d rather not catch fish with my family than catch twenty fish alone.’”

Alex could practically see the wheels spinning in his brother’s brain as he tried to work out what was being said. 

“I didn’t understand what he meant back then, but I do now.”

Lafayette looked at Alex for what felt like a minute, but was probably only a few seconds, before nodding once. 

Alex just barely contained a sigh of relief. He knew it was a long shot, the animosity between him and Lafayette was intense, but when it came down to something important, Alex knew he could count on his brother. 

“Take care, Laf. End transmission.”

Alex turned around and headed for the door. John quickly caught up to him. “Did he get the message?”

“Yeah, he got it,”

The two walked down the corridors heading for the rec room in companionable silence before John broke it.

“Lafayette wasn’t talking about Nathan Hale, was he?”

Alex turned to him, surprised. “Yeah, how do you know him?”

John sighed and ran his uninjured hand through his curls. “I don’t, but he is best friends with Ben.”

Alex winced, “Do you want me to tell him about the accident?”

John shook his head and lowered his hand, causing his curls to bounce back into place. “No, I should tell him. Unfortunately, there is not much to tell him, and no way for Ben to contact him right now, but he deserves to know.”

“Want me to come with you?”

John smiled at him. “That would be nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!  
> Things are certainly heating up in multiple ways.   
> Historically, Nathan Hale is hanged as a spy by the British during the American Revolution and I was originally going to have him die here, but then I felt bad and thought it would give the story a new element to work with.   
> Soldier is by Fleurie.  
> See you next week!


	10. Dusk Till Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peggy and Lafayette decode Alex's message and scare the shit out of Hercules and Nathan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For once I am posting at a decent time of the day!!!  
> This chapter is shorter than the others because I am writing chapters in-between writing academic papers and doing a ton of reading. Sorry for no Alex and John this chapter, but don't worry, they will return next week!!  
> I don't own anything recognizable.  
> Enjoy!

> _ “But you’ll never be alone _
> 
> _ I’ll be with you from dusk ‘til dawn _
> 
> _ I’ll be with you from dusk ‘til dawn _
> 
> _ Baby, I’m right here _
> 
> _ I’ll hold you when things go wrong  _
> 
> _ I’ll be with you from dusk ‘till dawn” _

_ Washington D.C. _

Peggy Schuyler usually wasn’t one to stay late at work. She was usually the first one out the door the second the hour hand hit five. Today she got caught up in her work and was so immersed that she hadn’t realized the time until Lafayette snuck up behind her. 

“Hey!”

Peggy jumped. “Shit! Oh, my God, Laf!”

“Sorry!” He threw up his hands in the universal sign of surrender. “Do you have a moment?”

“Yeah, sure.” She pulled her earbuds out. “What happened? Did Secret Service hunk dump you?”

“What? No. I need to show you something.”

Lafayette held up a flash drive. Peggy plucked it out of his hand and inserted it into her computer. She clicked on the file after it uploaded, and a recording of the conversation Lafayette had with Alex came on screen. 

Play it,” said Lafayette, dragging a chair over and sitting. 

Peggy clicked the play button, and Alex started talking about going fishing with George and Lafayette. Lafayette reached over and paused it before turning to Peggy.

“George never took the two of us fishing.”

Peggy raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?”

Lafayette gave her a confused look.

“Oh, I’m not the ‘talk about your Daddy issues’ kind of friend. I just-”

“What? Non.” Lafayette shook his head. “It is a code. ‘He dropped his cell phone in Key Biscayne.’ His cell phone number is the key. Here,” he pulled out a piece of paper with a phone number written on it. “take a look at the, how do you say,  _ chiffres?” _

“Digits,” supplied Peggy.

“Yes, digits. Here, you have your first number, that is the first word. Second number, nine, you move on nine words. That is the second word. Third number, nine again. Another nine, you move on. Then, nine-two-nine-five, and the rest until you have an entirely different message.”

Peggy snorted. “Who came up with this encryption, a 12-year-old?”

“Non,” said Lafayette looking offended. “I was 13.”

Peggy bit her lip, trying not to laugh. She turned toward the computer and pulled up a program. “Okay, read them out.”

_ “Un-neuf-neuf-neuf-deux-” _

“In English, Laf.”

“One-nine-nine-nine-two-nine-five-five-eight-seven-one.”

Peggy imputed the last number and hit the play button. 

_ “Proof of sabotage at highest level of government. Trust no one.”  _

Silence stretched between the two friends; neither could believe what they had just seen. Yet, at the same time, it made sense. Only someone with incredibly high-security clearance could block both Lafayette and Nathan’s access to the satellites. The only people with that kind of access worked in the White House.

“You said you wanted action,” murmured Lafayette.

“Yeah,” sighed Peggy, “but I mean holy shit.”

“If you do not want to continue-”

“Shut up, Laf, I’m in. What do we do now?”

“Okay. I need you to look up everything you can find on a file named ‘Project Zeus.’”

Peggy snorted, “‘Project Zeus?’ Really?”

Lafayette gave her a look. “Can we laugh at the name later, and save the world now?”

Peggy continued chuckling as she entered the name into her computer and watched as multiple searches came up. 

“Okay, I’m getting a hit, but it’s a double encryption, which is a little OCD.”

“Can you break it?”

“Yes, but I can’t do it from here. The file’s under a White House security network, and it’s just not-hackable. I’d have to log in, and I don’t have the credentials for it.”

“Merde. Neither do I.”

Lafayette sat back in his chair and frowned, running a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know anyone who does.”

Peggy raised an eyebrow at the Frenchman. Lafayette blinked, taken aback by the look.

“What?”

“Uh, yeah, you do.”

* * *

_ Hercules and Lafayette’s House _

_ Washington D.C. _

“So, when do you plan on asking Laf to marry you?” 

Hercules nearly tripped on the steps leading up to his front door. “Um, what-how-I-what?” He finished lamely. 

Nathan gave him an amused look as he maneuvered awkwardly up the steps, his crutches clicking on the concrete. “Come on, man. Everyone can see how in love you two are, so, when are you going to pop the question?”

Hercules took out his keys and fumbled to unlock the door. “I want to, but there are a lot of things standing in the way. Secret Service protocols not to mention that Laf’s dad is the freaking President of the United States, and I don’t know if I’m more terrified of asking him for permission to marry his son, or his aunt the Secretary of Defense.”

Hercules opened the door and held it open as Nathan stepped in.

“George will glare at you, and Lilianna will do a full background check. No, the terrifying person is definitely Martha; she’ll give you the full ‘talk’ and threaten horrible things if you break Laf’s heart.”

“I would expect nothing less from the First Lady.”

Hercules closed the door and set his keys down on the table by the door. He slipped past Nathan in the small hallway and proceeded to lead him further into the house.

“Laf, babe, the hospital released Nathan, so I brought him home. Where are you?”

A glass-shattering answered Hercules. He frowned and shared a concerned look with Nathan. Hercules motioned for Nathan to stay quiet as he pulled his gun from its holster and started creeping down the dark hallway. 

“Laf? You alright?”

Nathan followed behind Hercules as quietly as he was able with a pair of crutches. Hercules silently leads them both around the corner and into the kitchen where Lafayette and a young woman with curly hair were cleaning up broken glass. 

“How did you manage to drop the glass again?”

“It was slippery-shut it, Laf! You would have dropped it too!”

“Non, mon ami, my reflexes are too fast. I would have caught it.”

The woman snorted. “You would’ve fumbled it like that sheep incident in college-”

“I thought we agreed to never talk about that again!”

Nathan snorted and pushed past Hercules, who had lowered his gun. “Does anyone actually have a clear memory of that day? Because I swear, I remember you and Alexander attempting to dance the tango with the sheep-”

Lafayette flew across the kitchen to hastily cover his friend’s mouth.

“I love you, but please shut up!”

Nathan and Peggy both laughed at Hercules’ indignant look. Nathan shook Laf off and moved around him to greet Peggy, who threw her arms around her friend and eagerly started catching up. Hercules stowed his gun away and looped an arm around Lafayette’s waist dragging the Frenchman against him. 

“You love Nathan, do you?”

Lafayette rolled his eyes and smacked Hercules’ chest.

“I love him as a friend, mon amour. Only as a friend.”

Hercules hummed and pulled Lafayette in front of him before leaning down and capturing the other’s lips. Lafayette wrapped his arms around Hercules’ neck and stood up on tiptoes to bring them level. The two broke apart when Nathan and Peggy started whistling. Lafayette rolled his eyes at his friends.

“Hercules, Peggy Schuyler. Peggy-”

“Secret Service hunk who you’re totally not dating.”

Hercules blinked, while Lafayette made an illegible noise in response, and Nathan snickered. 

“Secret’s out now,” said Nathan with a smirk as he awkwardly balanced on his crutches and tugged one of Laf’s curls. 

Lafayette pouted and smacked his hand away, causing Nathan to grin and Peggy to smirk. Hercules rolled his eyes but grinned at their antics and tightened his hands on Lafayette’s hips. 

“As much as I enjoy your bickering,” said Hercules hooking his chin over Lafayette’s shoulder. “I still don’t know what you’re doing here, Peggy.”

“We work together in the State Department,” answered Lafayette. “I asked her here because I need her help, and we also need yours.”

Lafayette turned to look up at Hercules, who raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“What kind of help are we talking about?”

“The kind you are not going to like.”

“What does that mean-”

“We need your help to break into a secure White House server and illegally obtain files on Dutch Boy that could help us figure out who’s sabotaging the satellite.” Peggy interrupted, leaning back against the kitchen island. 

“Is that all,” muttered Nathan as he sunk into a chair.

Hercules released Lafayette and took a step back, a stern look affixing itself on his face.

“I took an oath, Laf. We have rules.”

“Technically, you’re not supposed to be sleeping with each other either,” pointed out Peggy.

Lafayette shot her a look then turned around when Hercules started talking again.

“You’re asking me to commit a crime. You’re soliciting a Secret Service agent, and you thought I would say yes?”

Lafayette took a step forward with a pleading look. “Hercules, please, something is wrong with Dutch Boy, and I sent my brother up there to try and fix it, but he might be in danger now, and I need to find out what is happening now before the situation gets worse and someone else dies!”

Silence fell in the kitchen as Lafayette faced his boyfriend with trembling hands, Nathan and Peggy exchanged worried looks behind him, and Hercules stoically stared at his partner. The stillness was broken when Hercules stepped forward and, cupping Lafayette’s face, brought his forehead down to rest against the Frenchman’s. 

“If you haven’t figured out yet that I would do anything for you, clearly I need to step my game up.”

Lafayette blinked in confusion, his long lashes tickling Hercules’ cheeks. 

“My answer is yes, Laf. I just needed to be sure you knew what you were asking me to do and the potential consequences if we get caught.”

Lafayette let out a slightly shuddery breath and tilted his head to kiss Hercules’ cheek. “Thank you.”

Hercules gave him a soft smile and leaned forward to kiss the other properly, arms moving down to wrap around Lafayette’s waist. Nathan and Peggy exchanged an amused look, then Nathan cleared his throat.

“If you two lovebirds are done, we should start committing treason now if we want to figure out who’s behind all this before some other poor soul gets blown out of an airlock.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter!  
> Dusk til Dawn is sung by Zayn and Sia.  
> See you next week!!


	11. Game of Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and John inch closer to discovering the nefarious plot that is being hatched under their noses, with a fair bit of cutesy Lams stuff to go along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a good excuse for updating later, I swear! I was moving into my dorm room on Friday, so I had to pack up my room and then unpack it in my dorm and set everything up, and then on Saturday, I had to go food shopping and get other dorm things. Also, in the future the chapters may not be uploaded on Friday, there is a good chance they will be uploaded Sunday, it will all depend on my schedule.   
> As always, I do not know anything that looks familiar.   
> Enjoy!

> _ "Who’s in the shadows? _
> 
> _ Who’s ready to play? _
> 
> _ Are we the hunters? _
> 
> _ Or are we the prey?" _

_ International Space Station IV _

_ Central Maintenance for Dutch Boy _

“We need to playback the security cameras without alerting anyone,” said Alex as he John walked away from the rec room. They had gone to find Ben to tell him what happened to Nathan and then spent the next ten minutes, convincing him Nathan was fine. The conversation would have lasted longer, but John could tell that Alex was getting anxious to move, so he gently told Ben that he could call Nathan as soon as communications were back online, then took Alex’s wrist and dragged him out of the room.

“Why?” Asked John with a frown, dropping Alex’s wrist.

Alex almost reached out to grab John’s hand but thought better of it and answered instead.

“Someone killed Seabury. We find out why; we know who’s behind this. Might as well look at the cameras and anything they picked up, especially right before he got-ah-blown out of the airlock.”

“But you cannot access the cameras without being logged in, and anyone can access those logs. And where are we going?”

Alex grabbed John’s hand and tugged him around a corner. “That’s why we’re going to the back-up server room. You see,” using his free hand Alex inputted a code beside a door. “It comes in handy that I built the place.”

The door slid open to show a storage room packed with crates and boxes. Alex paused, confused as he stared inside. 

“I swear it was right here.”

John giggled and tugged Alex over to a door across the way. “Yes, but I live here.”

John typed in the code, and the door slid open. John flourished his hand at the exposed service room with a cheeky smile. Alex rolled his eyes. “Show off.”

He entered the room, reluctantly dropping John’s hand, and started typing on the computer bringing up the security footage of the Afghanistan satellite getting dissected by Seabury and his team.

“Samuel was prepping diagnostics on the Afghan satellite while we launched a replacement.” Murmured John watching the footage. 

Alex leaned forward slightly and zoomed in on Seabury tinkering on the satellite. He and John watched as Seabury inserted his HoloFrame, waited a few seconds, then took it out. 

“He pulled something off the sat,” said Alex. “He figured it out, and they killed him to make sure no one else did.” 

They watched as the computer followed Seabury throughout the satellite, eventually losing him in the locker room, causing John to sigh.

“There are no cameras allowed in the locker rooms.”

Alex turned to John and found himself closer to the other man than he initially thought. He looked up to meet John’s green eyes. “Let’s go take a look for ourselves.” 

John smiled, then smirked. “Should I take the lead, or do you know where you are going, Mr. I-built-this-place?”

Alex smacked his shoulder and mocked glared at him. “How was I supposed to know you had moved the back-up server room?”

John laughed as he walked over to the door and then looked over his shoulder at Alex. “We didn’t.”

Alex scrambled to follow John’s laughter down the corridors and finally managed to catch up with him. The two walked down the halls together in comfortable silence before Alex broke it. 

“How are we going to find out what Seabury was doing in the locker room if there were no cameras to show us what happened?”

John hummed thoughtfully. “I can look up his locker number and combination to get into it, but-”

“-but if he’s smart, he didn’t use his locker,” finished Alex with a sigh running a hand through his red hair, messing it up.

Alex grumbled as he pulled the hair-tie out and ran his hands through his hair a couple of times, trying to smooth it out. He pulled his hair up and attempted to tie it back only to miss a piece. He sighed and pulled the tie out again, dropping his hands. 

“Why do I try? I should just chop it all off.”

John laughed and reached out to stop Alex.

“Here, give me the hair-tie.”

Alex dropped the band into John’s hand and stood still as John ran his hands through Alex’s fiery red hair to get any knots out. John noted the silky nature as he gently and neatly pulled the hair back and tied it off. He would have been quite comfortable running his fingers through Alex’s hair for hours, but now was not the time. 

“There,” said John, tightening the band, “it should stay relatively neat if you don’t run your hands through it.”

“Thanks,” said Alex turning to face him, “now I know if I ever need a stylist, I’ve got one here.”

John rolled his eyes in amusement and waved a hand down the corridor. “Shall we keep going?”

“Lead the way.”

The two walked down the corridors and soon made it to the empty locker rooms. 

“Locker 181,” said John, scrolling through his HoloFrame.

Alex led the way to the aforementioned locker and stopped before it. “Code?”

“Seven-six-three-six-three.”

Alex put the code in and opened the door to reveal an empty locker. He wasn’t surprised, but now they had to figure out where else Seabury could have hidden his HoloFrame. 

“You’re looking in the wrong locker,” said a voice behind them, causing both Alex and John to jump. 

Abe was leaning against some of the lockers and observing them through narrowed eyes. Alex and John exchanged a wary look, but Abe started talking again before either could say anything.

“I was here when Seabury came in.” He waved them over to another row of lockers and pointed at one. “He put his stuff in an empty one.”

John frowned at Abe while Alex went to the locker. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You saw the same footage I did. I was waiting to see who would come looking for it.”

“And how do we know you are not the one responsible for everything?”

“Because if he were,” said Alex, “we would be dead already. Code?”

John scrolled through his HoloFrame. “Two-six-six-five-three.”

Alex opened the locker and grinned when he saw Seabury’s stuff. He reached in and pulled out the HoloFrame, turning to show it to John. “Let’s go see what’s on this thing.”

* * *

“This is everything Seabury copied off the satellite and onto his HoloFrame.”  John and Alex were in their makeshift command center going over files Seabury had taken. John clicked a few keys, and a window with red text popped up. 

“That’s a virus,” said Alex with a frown leaning closer to the computer, causing his shoulder to brush against John’s.

“That wasn’t generated by the satellite’s onboard computer.”

“You’re right. That’s because they were planted.” Alex turned toward John. “Seabury found the virus and got killed before he could tell anyone.” 

John sat in a chair, just barely preventing himself from collapsing into it. “There is a traitor on board the satellite. I was hoping you were paranoid or cynical, but.”

John trailed off and shook his head, burying his fingers in the curls. It was Alex’s turn to disentangle John’s hands and hold them gently. Rubbing John’s knuckles soothingly, he said, “Between the two of us up here and Lafayette on Earth, we’re going to figure out what’s happening and who’s doing this.”

John looked up at Alex and gave him a slight smile. “I don’t doubt that you are going to solve this, but how many more satellites are going to malfunction and kill innocent people before you do?”

“Hopefully none,” murmured Alex dropping one of John’s hands to reach out and tuck a stray curl behind his ear. John blushed, and Alex wanted to kiss him, but he also wanted this to work out, and besides some small conversations here and there, they had never had any non-work-related talks. It was time to change that. 

‘Or maybe not,’ thought Alex as Robert came in and announced Washington was hailing them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I am sorry it was so short, but again I had a busy weekend.  
> Game of Survival is by Ruelle.  
> See you next week!


End file.
